Celebrating Black History – 13 Federal Innovators and Changemakers That Have Shaped Government Technology

As we celebrate Black History Month and an already historic year of firsts with Vice President Kamala Harris’ monumental moment becoming the first ever female vice president and the first black and first Asian American woman to hold the office of Vice President, I can’t help but to think of the incredible black IT professionals – past and present – I’ve become familiar with over the years in the Federal space. Each of these individuals has been instrumental in moving our country’s technology systems forward. Please join me in recognizing and celebrating their excellence.

 Who are the Leaders You Admire?

These are just some of the amazing black leaders that have inspired me. I know there are many other heroines and heroes out there making an impact in the public sector. Which black leaders and changemakers in Federal IT do you most admire?

Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, III

United States Secretary of Defense | Retired Commander, CENTCOM

A retired United States Army four-star general, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, III, was recently appointed as the U.S. Secretary of Defense this January. Austin previously served as the 12th commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM). Breaking barriers, Austin was the first African American to hold both of these positions. 

During his nearly 41 years of military service, he commanded units at every echelon, across the United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany and Panama. He also has the extraordinary distinction of having commanded troops in combat at the 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-star levels. Prior to CENTCOM, Austin was the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and the last commanding general of United States Forces – Iraq Operation New Dawn, which ended in December 2011. Following his initial retirement in 2016, he joined the boards of Raytheon Technologies, Nucor, and Tenet Healthcare before being appointed to his most recent position.

 Austin holds more than 21 awards and decorations for his service in the U.S. Armed Forces, including five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the country’s highest non-combat related military award; three Distinguished Service Medals; the Silver Star, our nation’s third highest award for valor in combat; and two Legions of Merit. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., earned a Master of Arts in Education from Auburn University and an MBA in business management from Webster University.

Essye Miller

Retired Principal Deputy CIO, Department of Defense

Recently retired, Essye Miller served as Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Defense Chief Information Officer (DoD CIO) as the primary advisor to the Secretary of Defense for Information Management/Information Technology and Information Assurance. In this role, she also led non-intelligence space systems, including critical satellite communications, navigation, and timing programs, spectrum, and other telecommunications. 

Miller has enjoyed a career spanning more than 35 years. Starting out as an IT specialist at Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama, rising into various leadership roles in technology and communication before eventually becoming director of cybersecurity for the Army CIO/G-6, followed by her position with the DoD CIO. Today she continues to drive innovation to develop the next generation of tech workers as the founder and CEO of Executive Business Management.

Among her numerous accolades, Miller is a Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Civilian Service Award, and Exceptional Civilian Service Award recipient, and is a FedScoop Top Women in Tech recipient, to name a few of her honors. Miller received her Bachelor of Arts from Talladega College, and would later earn her MBA from Troy State University, along with other warfare and leadership certifications she has earned throughout her career.

Gary Washington

CIO, United States Department of Agriculture

Gary Washington has more than 34 years of experience supporting Federal agencies. He currently serves as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Chief Information Officer since February 2018, supporting more than 100,000 users, managing a 2,700 IT workforce, and administering a $2.4 Billion IT portfolio to achieve cybersecurity, IT portfolio, IT infrastructure, customer support, IT policy goals for USDA. Before that, Washington was the CIO for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, as well as the CIO and Director of the Information Technology Division for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Prior to his appointments at USDA, Washington was a portfolio manager in the Electronic Government Office in the Executive Office of the President-Office of Management and Budget, where he was responsible for managing the Internal Effectiveness and Efficiency portfolio. Additionally, Washington managed the financial management, human resources and infrastructure lines of business, and the e-government initiatives.

Washington also worked at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where he was the Director of IT Governance and the Deputy Director of Infrastructure, as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of the Treasury, and at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. He also spent five years in the private sector as well as 10 years as a Computer Operator and Command Control Specialist in the U.S. Air Force. Washington holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Strayer University.

Joyce Hunter

Executive Director, ICIT (Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology) | Former Deputy CIO, Policy and Planning, United States Department of Agriculture

Joyce Hunter serves as the Executive Director for ICIT (Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology), the nation’s leading cybersecurity think tank providing objective nonpartisan research, advisory, and education to legislative, commercial, and public-sector cybersecurity stakeholders.

Hunter is also known for her role as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Policy and Planning at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) between 2013-2017 where she provided strategic leadership and implementation. She oversaw an IT spending budget of $3.4B annually and lead and managed key IT Policy, Enterprise Architecture and Capital Planning initiatives. One of her top career accomplishments during her tenure was creating the Open Data Science Technology Engineering Agriculture and Math summer camp, a program for underserved youth that included such projects as urban forestry and urban agriculture that continues today.

Hunter also served as founder and CEO of Vulcan Enterprises LLC and has held other senior leadership roles with Lotus Development Corp, Lawson Software, and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Hunter made FedScoop’s D.C. Top 50 Women in Technology lists (2016 and 2017) and has also had the honor of presenting her leadership lessons for TEDx.

Outside of her career, Hunter is a lifelong philanthropist. She currently serves on the Global Women in STEM steering committee and STEM Connector’s Million Women Mentors. In addition to her involvement in several professional organizations, she is a director at the Piggy Bank Foundation, which works toward responsible farming practices, and she is a board member of the National Health Information Technology Collaborative for the Underserved. She is also involved with My Golf My Game, an organization that promotes diversity in the game, business and science of golf.

Donna Bennett

CISO, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Donna Bennett serves as the Department of Commerce (DOC) Deputy Chief Information Security Offer where she manages a $30 million budget and 50-person cybersecurity office that supports the $2.9 billion for the 43,000+ personnel cabinet-level federal agency charged with promoting job creation and economic growth for the nation. Before taking her current position in 2018, she was the CISO at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and was responsible for the unprecedented Identity Credential and Access Management (ICAM) integration of Personal Identity Verification smart cards for the Single Sign-On (SSO) access of all assets within the FEMA Enterprise Network (FEN). Bennett was also charged with all aspects of cyber security to include - operations and cyber defense; customer engagement; solutions implementation and integration, security architecture: cyber assurance; security governance; risk and compliance; and security transformation and training.

As a nearly 20-year security industry veteran, Bennett has worked in various cybersecurity leadership positions throughout the Department of Defense, primarily supporting the U.S. Navy. Bennett managed Cyber Security of the Unified Atlantic Region Network Operations Center at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic. She was the Senior Information Assurance Officer for U.S. Naval Forces Europe/ U.S. 6th Fleet supporting two combatant commands: United States European Command (EUCOM) (51 countries and territories) and United States African Command (AFRICOM) (53 African Nations) in planning and implementing the security of applications and networks in support of several Maritime Domain Awareness Programs. Following her distinguished U.S. Naval career, she worked as an Enterprise Network Architect, refurbishing networks while ships were awaiting their next deployment cycle.

Bennett holds a Bachelor of Computer Information Systems from Saint Leo University and Master of Science Degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University (NSA Center of Excellence). She is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows, Executive Service Development Seminar, and holds various Technical and Cyber Security certifications. Her awards include the National Security Agency's Frank B. Rowlett Award, Joint Civilian Service Commendation, Civilian of the Year, the Federal 100, FedScoop’s Top 50 Women in IT, and GCN’s DIG IT Award for Cyber Security. In addition to her professional work, she serves as an adjunct professor at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) where she teaches Cybersecurity Management and Policy. 

LaVerne Council

Former Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology & CIO, Department of Veterans Affairs

LaVerne Council is the former Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s Office of Information and Technology. Assuming the role in 2015, she managed a $4.2 billion Information Technology appropriation, the first centralized and only IT appropriation in the federal government. Within her first 90 days, Council established the VA’s first Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy, a comprehensive defense-in-depth approach crossing five goals and eight domains to ensure comprehensive security of Veteran and employee data; and developed and delivered the agency's IT Enterprise Strategy, a roadmap to completely transform the entire technological organization as well as the way in which technology supports VA operations. 

Before she joined VA, Council was CEO of Council Advisory Services, LLC. From 2006 to 2011, she served as Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Johnson & Johnson’s global Information Technology group where she managed IT systems for the $61.6 billion worldwide enterprise. Prior to her time at Johnson & Johnson, Council was the Global Vice President for Information Technology, Global Business Solutions and Development Services at Dell. She was also a partner at Ernst & Young. In 2017, Council retired from the VA and returned to the private sector to become the national managing principal for Enterprise Digital Strategy and Innovation at Grant Thornton.

Outside of her career, Council is a lifelong advocate for ensuring that more women have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. She currently serves as Chair of the National Board of Trustees for the March of Dimes since 2011. She has been a volunteer for the organization since the age of five. 

Council received a Bachelor of Science in Business from Western Illinois University, an MBA in Operations Management from Illinois State University, and a Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa, from Drexel University.  

Janice Haith

Retired Deputy Director, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Navy

For seven years, Janice Haith served as Director, Deputy Department of Navy Chief Information Officer (Navy), to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare before retiring from public service in 2017. In this position, she was responsible for all CIO matters related to the U.S. Navy. This included governance, functional area manager/portfolio management, enterprise architecture, information assurance, information management/information technology, efficiencies, and Clinger-Cohen Act Compliance. Her role was responsible for the Navy’s $6 billion annual IT spending.

Haith’s public service includes 34 years supporting various Department of Defense (DOD) agencies. As a security, intelligence, and CIO professional since 1984, Haith completed assignments of increasing complexity in an extensive range of organizations. These roles included: Security Adjudicator for the Department of Justice; Program Element Manager for the Air Force; Joint Personnel Adjudication System Program Manager for the USAF and DoD; e-Government Program Manager for the Internal Efficiency and Effectiveness in the DOD, and a Congressional Fellow on behalf of the U.S. Air Force. Haith joined the private sector in June 2018 as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Public Sector for Oracle. 

Haith graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Hampton Institute and a Master of Science in Technology Management from University of Maryland. She is also a graduate of the National Defense University and various advance level courses for members of the Senior Executive Service.

Pamela C. Dyson

VP and CIO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York | Former CIO, Securities and Exchange Commission

Pamela C. Dyson is executive vice president, chief information officer and head of the Technology Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and also serves on the Bank’s Executive Committee.

As head of TG, Ms. Dyson is responsible for the strategic planning and governance of the Bank’s Information Technology, and the provisioning and delivery of technology services to the Bank. She also contributes significantly to advancing technology thinking, strategy and execution across the Federal Reserve System.

Prior to joining the New York Fed, Dyson was the CIO and director of the Office of Information Technology at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she took the reins on a number of technology modernization initiatives, including moving the SEC to the cloud, leveraging government and commercially provided cybersecurity solutions and moving the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) system to adopt XBRL reporting language. Dyson has more than 30 years of experience in IT including enterprise infrastructure and operations, customer relationship management and business solutions delivery. She has led large scale transformations across the entire technology stack including, application development, IT infrastructure and operations, and cyber and data management.

Dyson is has also been a mentor and speaker for STEM program activities for the past 10 years. She has earned several awards during her career, including FedScoop’s Top 50 Women in Tech. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland. 

Dr. Valerie Taylor

Director of Mathematics & Computer Science, Department of Energy

Dr. Valerie Taylor is the Director of the Department of Energy’s Mathematics and Computer Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory. Her research includes topics such as performance analysis, power analysis, and resiliency. She is known for her work on "Prophesy," a database used to collect and analyze data to predict the performance on different applications on parallel systems. Before her tenure at the DOE, Taylor served as the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering for Texas A&M University from 2003-2011 and continued to teach until 2017.

Taylor has received numerous awards for distinguished research, leadership, and efforts to increase diversity in computing, including NSF’s National Young Investigator Award. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 papers in the area of high-performance computing, with a focus on performance analysis and modeling of parallel scientific applications. Taylor is the CEO & President of the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT), an organization that seeks to develop the participation of minorities and people with disabilities in the IT workforce in the United States.

Taylor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer and electrical engineering from Purdue University, followed by a master’s degree in electrical engineering. She earned her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley in electrical engineering and computer science and holds a patent for her dissertation work on sparse matrices.

Lt. Gen. Bruce T. Crawford

Retired CIO, U.S. ARMY CIO/G-6

Recently retired from the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Bruce T. Crawford served as the U.S. Army’s Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 where he provided guidance as principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army, setting strategic direction and objectives for the Army network, and supervising all Army C4 (command, control, communications, and computers) and Information Technology functions. As the G-6, he advised the Chief of Staff of the Army on the network, communications, signal operations, cybersecurity, force structure, and equipping.

Crawford’s public sector career spanned 33 years in a variety of leadership positions at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Previous assignments include commanding general of the Communications-Electronics Command and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; director of J-6 and Cyber/C4 within United States European Command; and the commanding general of the 5th Signal Command and deputy chief of staff, G-6, for United States Army Europe. He has also served in numerous command and staff positions in Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and North Carolina, including multiple combat deployments to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Since retiring, he has joined the public sector as Senior Vice President, Strategic Development for civil engineering company Jacobs. 

Crawford received his Army commission through South Carolina State University's Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program after graduating in 1986 as a distinguished military graduate with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. He later earned two master’s degrees in administration and national resource strategy as well. A decorated combat veteran, Crawford was named 2020 Black Engineer of the Year by the Black Engineer of the Year Association (BEYA). His thesis, “Forget The New Normal, We Are In the New Now”, was recently published in Palo Alto Network’s 3rd Edition of “Navigating The Digital Age.”

Mia Jordan

CIO, Federal Student Aid Office, Department of Education | Former CIO, Office of Rural Development, USDA

Mia Jordan has been elevating public sector innovation for more than 10 years and was recently appointed as CIO for the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Office in 2020 and leads technology transformation for students and their families looking to obtain funding to achieve their educational goals.

Prior to the Federal Student Aid Office, Jordan worked for the United States Department of Agriculture, first with the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) as the director of IT governance and chief architect. She became the Rural Development CIO in 2017, spearheading IT modernization and implementation efforts at an agency that handles a $224 billion loan portfolio supporting rural prosperity across the nation. Jordan's technology modernization leadership pioneered the adoption of SaaS for the ReConnect Loan Program and her work on the agency’s Employee Portal has helped the USDA become more data-driven and customer-centric. These advancements were instrumental in helping the agency better deliver financial assistance and expand economic opportunities in rural areas.

Jordan’s accolades include the 2019 Theodore Roosevelt Government Executive Leadership Award, Pathfinder 2019 Award, 2019 FedScoop 50 Award nomination, and USDA’s 2019 Secretary’s Honor Award. Jordan graduated from Strayer University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, followed by a Master of Computer Science from University of Maryland University College.

Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock

CIO, U.S. Marine Corps.

Since March 2019, Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock has served as the Director of Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and the Deputy Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Marine Corps. She is also the first black woman to be nominated as a Brigadier General in the Marine Corps. Previously, Mahlock served as the Deputy Director of Operations, Plans, Policies, and Operation Directorate for the Marine Corps.

Serving in the U.S. Armed Forces for over 36 years, Mahlock’s was first designated as an Air Traffic Control Officer at the beginning of her career, earning certifications as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Tower Local Controller and a Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Instructor. She has commanded and led at various levels globally and in combat including but not limited to Operation Southern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Headquarters European Command.

Mahlock's honors include Legion of Merit; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Joint Service Achievement Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

She holds a master's degree in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Oklahoma at Norman; a Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies with distinction from the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island; a Master in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College; and a Masters Certificate in Information Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School. 

Sheena (Coleman) Burrell

Deputy CIO, National Archives and Records Administration

Sheena Burrell leads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)’s information technology operations, security, systems engineering, development, and data divisions as the agency’s Deputy Chief Information Officer. Her role is responsible for creating systems and tools that allow customers to permanently preserve digitized, as well as “born” digital, information to assist in discovering NARA’s holdings.

In Burrell’s 20 years of public service, she expanded her leadership roles at various agencies. At NASA, she served as IT Business Manager, responsible for developing, executing, and providing analysis and advice on the agency-wide $2 billion IT portfolio, IT programs, and issues of national impact. She oversaw a team of 15 civil servants and contractors in continuous process improvement, project management, and change management to support agency leadership in the development and delivery of agency goals and objectives. zprior to that role, Burrell held various positions at the Social Security Administration (SSA). She finished her 15-year tenure there as Director of IT Investment Process Staff, leading a staff of 30 civil servants and contractors to establish and operate SSA’s $1.7 billion Information Technology Portfolio.

Burrell earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication from Towson University and is certified in Government Contracting and Procurement and agile development. 

Clarification: An earlier copy of my article misidentified the first black female to hold a cabinet-level position due to an information source error. The actual first to accomplish this was U.S. Department of Education CIO Gloria Parker in 1996.