OMB Names New U.S. Digital Service Chief

The Office of Management and Budget Thursday named Mina Hsiang as administrator of the United States Digital Service, a collection of technologists who work on critical tech projects across the federal government.

Hsiang is an engineer and USDS alum who previously served in the Obama-Biden administration in fixing the rollout of HealthCare.gov, serving as founding executive director of the Digital Service at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Most recently, Hsiang served on President Biden’s HHS agency review teams and worked on the COVID-19 transition team. Earlier this year she became the senior adviser for delivery at USDS, leading the rollout of Vaccines.gov integrated consumer experience.

“Since its creation, the United States Digital Service has served as a cornerstone of innovation by uniquely focusing on human-centered solutions to government’s most pressing technical problems,” OMB Acting Director Shalanda Young said in a statement. “As USDS Administrator, Mina brings a wealth of government digital delivery experience, as well as the leadership to continue cultivating the extraordinary talent at USDS and delivering better services for the American people.”

Hsiang will be the first woman and first Asian-American to lead USDS.

“I am so excited to lead this organization which tackles problems that are both important and hard,” Hsiang said in a USDS blog post announcing the role. “It’s a place I care so much about; it represents what I think is best about people stepping up when their country needs their skills. I’m proud of what the team at USDS has done so far and am eager to continue that work. And I remain committed to bringing in highly skilled and experienced technologists who are diverse on all axes- because government builds for everyone, and we should reflect that public.”