USDA associate CIO moves to private sector

David Shearer, associate CIO for International Technology Services at the Agriculture Department, said Oct. 11 he is leaving the department.

Shearer’s last official day with the federal government is Oct. 19. He has accepted a position as chief operating officer at (ISC)2. (ISC)2 is a global, not-for-profit organization focused on educating and certifying information security professionals throughout their careers. He starts his position Oct. 29.

Clinton Swett, technical support director of USDA’s ITS, will assume Shearer’s position in an acting role until officials make a permanent selection, he said.

USDA has not commented on Shearer’s leaving.

Shearer has led ITS in providing managed IT services, networking, and support to USDA agency customers across the country and around the world. He joined USDA in 2008.

Shearer has been in public service for more than 26 years. He began his career in a number of IT leadership positions with the Coast Guard. While there, he helped in designing and then deploying the Standard Workstation III at the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

He also worked on the Interior Department’s Enterprise Architecture initiative while he worked in the department’s CIO’s office. Later he became the Bureau of Land Management’s deputy CIO and then the department’s deputy CIO.