The Federal CDO Council has selected Ted Kaouk, CDO at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), to lead the council as chair, according to a June 10 press release from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
“We are very pleased to have Ted’s leadership for the Chief Data Officers Council,” Federal CIO Suzette Kent said. “His cross-agency leadership with recent efforts to share resources across agencies demonstrated his commitment to the objectives of the CDO Council.”
The CDO Council, established by the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act, is tasked with developing resources to support Federal CDOs, evaluate new tech for the collection and use of data, and coordinate with other Federal councils on data-related activities. In November 2019, Kent said that the council would be operational in the “next 12 months.”
“The CDO Council can and should develop processes for capturing high-value shared opportunities and best practices while recognizing organizational differences and challenges,” Kaouk said of his new position. “We will need to leverage the collective wisdom of everyone on the Council for this foundational work.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Kaouk has served as USDA CDO since September 2018. In this role, Kaouk is responsible for developing strategies that help USDA leverage data as a strategic asset and improve organizational decision-making.
