Miller on tap at Treasury?

Ronald Miller, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's former chief information officer now detailed to help the Office of Homeland Security, is the leading candidate to become CIO at the Treasury Department, Federal Computer Week learned.

Miller was interviewed for the job at the end of October, and his paperwork has been sent to the White House liaison office, according to sources.

He would replace Mayi Canales, who was the acting CIO at Treasury. She left Oct. 25 to start a consulting business. She had been in the position since April, replacing Jim Flyzik, who also was detailed to the Office of Homeland Security. Flyzik recently announced he would retire from government at the end of the year.

Since August, Miller has been part of the Bush administration's Transition Planning Office. He also worked to develop the information technology architecture for the proposed Homeland Security Department.

The changes come at a time when Congress has stalled on legislation to create the Homeland Security Department. But now that the Republicans will control Congress, experts say it will only be a matter of time before the department becomes a reality.

Miller, a fast-rising star in the CIO ranks, was at FEMA when last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred. The small, independent agency subsequently was charged by the Bush administration with leading the nation's anti-terrorism effort.

"We have always been focused on natural disasters," Miller said in an interview with FCW earlier this year. "We know the seasons in which those occur. We don't have the luxury of ebb and flow now. Since Sept. 11, we've been going full blown, and we've been told that's not going to change."

At FEMA, Miller centralized all IT resources under his department including the transformation and cybersecurity offices.

At Treasury, Miller would face similar challenges, but he would be in charge of a much larger system that includes major modernization efforts already under way.