Obama taps private sector exec to lead IT at VA

Laverne Horton Council is President Barack Obama's choice for assistant secretary for information and technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Like Secretary Bob McDonald, Council would come to the VA from the private sector. She served as a vice president and CIO at Johnson & Johnson, and held several executive positions at Dell. She has led her own firm, Council Advisory Services, since 2012. Additionally, Council has worked at Accenture and Ernst & Young, and had a stint in government at the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The White House announced the president’s intention to nominate Council on March 18. Steph Warren has held the top IT job at VA on an acting basis for two years.