HHS gets CIO

Department of Health and Human Services

Charles Havekost, program manager for the Department of Health and Human Services' Grants.gov initiative, will become the department's chief information officer, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced today.

Havekost, who will also be deputy assistant secretary for information resources management, will oversee the department's information technology resources, systems and infrastructure. Additionally, he will be responsible for development of the enterprise architecture, and steer the department's e-government projects and IT infrastructure services.

"Charlie's experience from his years in the federal government and in the private sector make him an ideal candidate for bringing to HHS the best both worlds have to offer," Thompson said in a press release. "His previous work here at the department, in particular on Grants.gov, demonstrates his deep understanding of the importance of information technology and how it can better serve our citizens."

Havekost, who began his career as a junior fellow at the department's National Institutes of Health, left the federal government in 1999 after 25 years in information systems, grants and technology management. He directed a start-up telecommunications firm before returning in 2001 to lead the Grants.gov initiative.

That initiative, one of 25 federal e-government programs, provides a one-stop shop for various federal agencies to announce about 900 grants, and for organizations and individuals to search and apply for them online. HHS is the lead agency on the project.

Havekost was also one of Federal Computer Week's Federal 100 award winners this year. The award is given annually to those who have made a contribution to the federal government in the technology arena.

His position will be within HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Budget, Technology and Finance.