Council to take leadership post at MITRE

LaVerne Council, the former CIO and assistant secretary for the Office of Information and Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is joining the not-for-profit MITRE Corporation in a senior role.

As senior vice president and general manager of MITRE's Center for Connected Government, she'll be responsible for several federally funded research and development labs, including the Center for Enterprise Modernization funded by Treasury, IRS and VA, the Homeland Systems Engineering and Development Institute sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, and the CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services.

"LaVerne brings considerable experience and knowledge in strategic thinking, strategy development and execution, and global business operations, as well as a deep commitment to public service," MITRE's Jason Providakes said in an email to staff obtained by FCW. "She has demonstrated intellectual curiosity, a willingness to fail fast, and an innovative drive. I firmly believe that she is uniquely qualified to serve as the new GM for CCG and will successfully leverage our FFRDC platform to increase impact, address 'whole-of-government' issues, and strengthen our value from the sponsors’ points of view."

Council was confirmed by the Senate to lead OI&T in July 2015, and served at VA through the end of the Obama administration. She was handpicked by former secretary Bob McDonald for the role. Like McDonald, Council had background in the corporate world, with high-level executive stints at Johnson & Johnson, Dell and elsewhere.

At VA she took steps to improve the agency's cybersecurity posture and to prepare the agency's systems and data for a move away from legacy systems, and a reliance on a homegrown electronic health records system that relies on an old and out-of-date programming language. Her efforts to transform tech at the agency earned her the VA's Meritorious Award.

Council will join MITRE on April 3.