NSF CIO Amy Northcutt dies at 57

Amy Northcutt, the National Science Foundation's longtime CIO, passed away on May 6 from complications related to a brain tumor that had been diagnosed just nine days earlier. 

An attorney and a religious studies scholar in addition to an IT executive, Northcutt had served as NSF's CIO since 2012, and before that spent a decade as the agency's deputy general counsel. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and the Oklahoma City law firm of Crowe and Dunlevy.

NSF Director France Córdova issued a statement that Northcutt's "thought leadership ... and kindness" will be especially missed, and praised her leadership, which Córdova said "has brought innumerable advances to our day-to-day lives.”

Northcutt is survived by her husband and two teenage children, who live in Falls Church, Va. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on June 17 at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St., NE, Washington, D.C.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a scholarship created in Amy's memory to support women pursuing theological studies. Donations can be made to the Amy A. Northcutt Fund, c/o the Disciples Divinity House, 1156 East 57th Street, Chicago, Ill. 60637-1536.