FBI names new acting CIO

The FBI's executive assistant director, W. Wilson Lowery Jr., has been named the acting chief information officer for the bureau, officials announced today.

The FBI continues to search for a replacement for Darwin John, who is planning to retire May 16 after serving as the CIO since July 2002. He was formerly the information and communications chief of the Mormon Church.

As acting CIO, Lowery will report to FBI Director Robert Mueller on the continuing development of information technology strategies.

Lowery, who joined the bureau about 10 months ago, worked closely with the developers of the Trilogy modernization project. The FBI completed the Trilogy network in March. Lowery also was working closely with the development of the Virtual Case File system, a Web-based data warehouse, which is slated to be completed in December.

"As we continue in our efforts to re-engineer and modernize the FBI's information systems, Mr. Lowery, having already played a major role in our successful efforts to date, gives us the ability to transition smoothly as we carefully pursue a permanent CIO," Mueller said.