OMB hires Interior's Howell

Howell will replace Tim Young, deputy administrator since 2004. Howell will be the first career federal employee to take the position since it was converted earlier this year from political appointment status. “OMB will continue its E-Government Act responsibilities beyond this administration by ensuring the Office of E-Government and Information Technology is institutionalized within the organization,” the OMB spokeswoman said. Young, who plans to return to the private sector, has said that he will continue for a period at OMB to assure continuity. Howell has been CIO at Interior, a large, decentralized department, since May 2007 and, before that, he was CIO at one of its larger agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Previously, he was chief of the Information Technology Portfolio Management Division in the CIO’s office, where he was responsible for management of the Interior’s $900 million a year portfolio of IT investments, according to the department. He also was CIO and deputy CIO at the department’s Bureau of Land Management.