DHS' Church moving back to industry

The Homeland Security Department’s roll of technology officials continues to shrink. Charles Church, the director and chief information officer for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), will join ACS as vice president for homeland security and defense, Church has said in an e-mail to colleagues.

Church’s first day with ACS will be March 3 and hIs last day at DHS will be Feb. 29.

"I joined the government a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in October 2001 with the intent to help national security with my knowledge of information technology," Church wrote. "My plan was to stay five years and depart back to the private sector once my sons reached college age. I had such a great time and I stayed a little bit longer."

Earlier, Tony Cira, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's CIO, left Jan. 24 to go return to the private sector. Also, DHS promoted Scott Charbo from CIO to deputy undersecretary for NPPD Feb. 1. Church's departure would open a third senior technology position in the department in two months.

Industry experts expect other officials to leave as well in the coming months.

Church has been CIO at NPPD since April 2007. He joined DHS in October 2003 as CIO of the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection and Preparedness Directorate.

Before coming to DHS, Church worked at the Treasury Department as the program manager for telecommunications services.

He also spent time in industry, working for America Online, Powersim, UUNet and OneSoft.

Church said his government career highlights include helping to create and deploy the Homeland Security Information Network and development of the information technology management infrastructure at NPPD and IAIP directorates.

ACS is No. 58 on Washington Technology's top 100 government contractors.  Some of the company's customers include the Education, Labor and State departments along with DHS. In 2006, ACS had revenues from federal contracts of $265 million.