Comings and goings

The New Year already is bringing many changes in the federal information technology community. Leamon Lee, a venerable fixture in the federal workforce for nearly half a century, has been an expert in developing and marketing contracting vehicles at the National Institutes of Health. But 46 years in government is long enough, said Lee, associate director of administration at NIH. He's joining the consulting firm of Guerra, Kiviat, Flyzik and Associates Inc., where he will do management consulting.

Others making changes include:

Also heading into new territory is Jim Kane, who had been the chief executive officer of Federal Sources Inc., a market intelligence and consulting firm that serves the federal IT market. As president and CEO of the Software Productivity Consortium, Kane's new job comes just weeks after the Washington Management Group Inc. bought Federal Sources.

Meanwhile, Daniel Matthews, chief information officer at the Transportation Department and the newly-appointed vice chairman of the federal Chief Information Officers Council, is planning to juggle both jobs with equal aplomb. Matthews said his operating and commercial experience would help him get some serious work done. His first job at the council is to get the 24 e-government initiatives finished, but he's looking at other governmentwide architecture issues in the coming year. "I'm coming with experience with a federal department that has operating agencies," he said. "I'm bringing knowledge of how we have to work together... so the federal architecture will be meaningful. I think it will be useful." We hope he won't be burning the midnight oil too often.

And finally, we can report that one state CIO has a many options in her future. Aldona Valicenti, Kentucky's first chief information officer, has announced her departure from her post in Kentucky. Valicenti, one of the nation's most well-respected, recognizable and sought-after technology authorities, has finished her term of office and is deciding on her next move. She's been offered jobs in the federal government and a couple of other states, and we look forward to seeing where this very talented CIO executive lands for her next tour of duty.