FCW Insider: October 27, 2021

TMF hiring new technical leads

The board of the $1 billion IT modernization fund was slogging through detailed project proposals in their spare time – now TMF is looking for help.

Thrift Savings Plan to launch mobile app next year

The move is part of a $3.3 billion contract to consolidate multiple service contracts at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

Biden nominates FCC, NTIA chiefs

President Joe Biden filled out his technology and telecom team with three key nominations on Tuesday.

Young civic tech star featured in Boston Globe

Steve Kelman revisits the work Chris Kuang is doing to bring recent grads into government tech roles.

Quick Hits

*** Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman is moving to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to take up the post of senior election security lead. "The goal is clear," Wyman said in a statement. "We must protect and defend the constitutional pillar of our republic – elections. We will collaborate with federal agencies, state and local election officials and private industry to continue addressing the threats and security challenges facing election officials."

*** Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo named Stephen Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, S.C., as board chair of the FirstNet Authority. FirstNet is a public safety communications network designed to promote interoperability among first responders. Raimondo also announced 11 appointments to the FirstNet board.

*** President Joe Biden nominated Laurel Blatchford, a former chief of staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and currently managing director at a nonprofit investment philanthropy, to serve as controller of the Office of Federal Financial Management in the Office of Management and Budget.

*** The Office of Management and Budget is tasking agencies with adding new data elements to their grants reporting as required under the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.