Why chief data officers don't do much tech
In many cases, federal CDOs find themselves focused less on technology and more on playing adviser to leaders within their agencies.
As they make their way into the C-suite, some chief data officers are working with people more than technology.
"This is a people job first and foremost," said Daniel Morgan, CDO at the Transportation Department, during a June 30 summit organized by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center. "As a chief data officer, you just can't live behind your desk."
He said he spends much of his time connecting teams to the right datasets, which often come from outside his agency. When he does get to talk tech, it's as an adviser to DOT CIO Richard McKinney.
Bob Landreth, program manager for the Defense Information Systems Agency's Big Data Platform, said he also counsels customers. When users request datasets, Landreth said he asks them to take a step back and tell him what they want to accomplish so he can determine what data they need.
At the General Services Administration, CDO Kris Rowley advises and reports to the agency's CIO. He said he spends 80 percent of his time working on business issues and only 20 percent on technology, and he's fine with that.
"All of the technology needs I have I hand off to [GSA CIO David Shive]," Rowley said, adding that the arrangement allows him to focus on governance and change management.
When the balance is right, CDOs can be freed up to advise customers or even hit the outreach circuit, as Morgan and Commerce Department Deputy CDO Tyrone Grandison have done, to bring pertinent data to those who don't yet know they can use it.