The Social Security Administration (SSA) has named Michael Russo chief information officer (CIO). Russo, who started in the new job on Feb. 3, is taking on the position as a first-time Federal employee bringing a lot of private sector experience with him.
An SSA spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk that Russo replaced Brian Peltier, who was named acting CIO at the agency just last week.
Peltier previously served as SSA’s deputy CIO for strategy and chief AI officer before taking over the CIO position from political appointee Marcela Escobar-Alava, who had been in the job since March 2024.
Russo has held several technology-related leadership roles, most recently working as a part-time senior technical advisor at Shift4, a payment processing and technology solutions company, where he previously served as the chief technology officer for over six years.
Before his roles at Shift4, Russo was CTO for more than seven years at hardware and software provider MICROS Systems Inc., which services the hospitality and retail industries. He was also CTO and senior vice president of technology at Prematics, Inc., an IT services provider and consultant, and CTO of Artromick International.
Russo received a BSChe in Chemical Engineering at California State University, Long Beach, according to his LinkedIn profile.
