SSA's Dyer headed to private sector

John Dyer, who helped make the Social Security Administration a leader in

electronic government, is moving to the private sector to take a top job

at Science Applications International Corp.

After 30 years with the federal government, Dyer, 53, will become vice

president and deputy section manager of the enterprise and health solutions

sectors at SAIC.

Dyer will join sector vice president Edward Martin, another former federal

official. Martin was formerly acting assistant secretary of Defense for

health affairs and chief of staff for U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.

"When I started in government, [information technology] was something

that people saw as helpful," said Dyer, who has been at SSA for the past

12 years. "Now it is the key, and you can't do anything without it." He

was SSA's chief information officer until being reassigned in October as

senior adviser to SSA Commissioner Ken Apfel.

Dyer began his federal service in 1969, with VISTA (Volunteers in Service

to America).

He has closely watched the evolution of the Electronic Age and recalls

that in 1972, electric typewriters were a "big deal."

At SSA, he was responsible for developing strategies that include using

technology to reduce overpayments and developing electronic services that

put SSA at the cutting edge of e-government.