After short vacancy, Education gets new CIO
Transportation Department veteran Jason Gray quietly took the tech reins at Education late last month.
The Education Department's new CIO Jason Gray started work on May 31.
The agency did not publicize the hire, but James Cole, Education's general counsel, praised Gray in a May 24 internal memo.
"[Gray] brings years of experience in the planning, development, delivery, and monitoring of technical solutions that address the needs of his customers in support of their mission," Cole wrote in the memo, which was provided to FCW. "While [Gray] has significant experience leading IT organizations, it is his strong track record of creating and maintaining a positive work environment that promotes open communication and high ethical standards that makes him the right choice to lead OCIO."
Before joining Education, Gray served as associate CIO for policy and oversight with the Transportation Department.
He supported implementation of Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act across Transportation's components and helped manage the agency's $3.5 billion IT portfolio, Cole noted.
Gray has hopped into the saddle that Education's last CIO, the long-serving Danny Harris, vacated in February. Harris resigned after coming under congressional scrutiny amid allegations that he maintained a close relationship with an agency contractor, and that his work suffered as a result of multiple outside jobs and consulting gigs.
Cybersecurity and modernization may, by necessity, take much of Gray's time in his new role. Congressional overseers have signaled grave concerns about Education's ability to safeguard its massive troves of personal and financial data.