Stouffer starts as EPA's CTO

Debra Stouffer began work this week as the Environmental Protection Agency's first chief technology officer. She is based out of the EPA's Office of Environmental Information (OEI).

Stouffer arrived at the agency after a short stint at the Office of Management and Budget, where she led the Enterprise Architecture Program Management Office.

At EPA, Stouffer will be responsible for architecture projects, investment review improvements, project management implementation for information technology programs and new uses of technology, according to Kim Nelson, EPA chief information officer and OEI assistant administrator.

"One of OEI's top priorities is to align EPA's business and data architecture with that of the federal government's as we move forward with our projects and those under the president's management agenda for e-government," Nelson said in a statement today.

OMB tapped Stouffer in January to manage a thorough assessment of all overlapping IT systems and programs across government, according to Mark Forman, OMB's associate director of IT and e-government.

While there on temporary detail, she collaborated with Norman Lorentz, OMB's first CTO. OMB hired Lorentz the same month it brought Stouffer on board to identify and coordinate the technology needed to support e-government initiatives and the Office of Homeland Security.

Before joining the EPA, she served as deputy chief information officer at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Stouffer directed HUD's effort to create the Enterprise Architecture Management System, which has enabled the agency to take a departmentwide view of its IT use.

She also integrated enterprise architecture into management structures at other agencies through her leadership role on the CIO Council.