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- April 1, 2002
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o who are the best CIOs in the federal government? Industry watchers and former federal IT managers point straight to James Flyzik, John Gilligan and Lee Holcomb. Each exemplifies what it takes to manage information technology in the federal government like a champion.
- James Flyzik, the Treasury Department's CIO and deputy assistant secretary for information technology, is vice chairman of the federal CIO Council. Flyzik's ingredients for a model CIO: "First, a CIO must understand the business of the agency and its mission and objectives," he says. "Then the CIO needs to learn how to apply information technology in order to improve the business." Flyzik says his key to success is keeping the door open to industry and academia to learn about cutting edge technologies and management practices. He also delegates responsibility. Until recently, Flyzik was filling in as Treasury's acting assistant secretary for management, an added load that required him to rely on the growing expertise of Mayi Canales, his deputy. Understanding the legislative requirements placed on federal CIOs is critical, Flyzik says. CIOs must know the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act backwards and forwards, he says. Fluency in the 2000 Government Information Security Reform Act and the 1998 Government Paperwork Elimination Act is also a must.
- Lee Holcomb, the CIO at NASA, reflects the perfect balance between technological know-how and leadership skills, experts say. Holcomb is co-chair of the CIO Council's Governmentwide Architecture Framework Committee. He prides himself on applying industry's best practices at NASA. And, he is trusted by senior leaders, says Roger Baker, former CIO at Commerce. Every CIO must have a strong background in technology, but good business skills are also important, Holcomb says. He has a master's degree in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. CIOs should never talk to senior managers in technical terms they don't understand, Holcomb says.
- John Gilligan, Air Force CIO and co-chair of the CIO Council's Governmentwide Architecture Framework Committee, is noted for striking a balance vision and action. He considers his time as CIO at the Energy Department to be a real boon to him, because it taught him how different organizations tackle similar problems. Gilligan is "a forward-thinking guy," says Dave Wennergren, the Navy's deputy CIO for enterprise integration and security. At the same time, he gets results. For example, he publicly demanded that software companies build products that are secure before they are released. "He knows what he wants to do, considers it and gets it done," says George Molaski, former CIO at the Transportation Department.
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