Cori Zarek exits USDS

Cori Zarek, the deputy administrator of the White House’s U.S. Digital Service, has left her post after about two years on the job.

She’s moving to Apolitical, a company offering a learning platform and global network for government, as its vice president for North America.

“In two decades of working in and around government, it's clear that we need to better invest in learning, development, and collaboration opportunities for public sector workers,” Zarek said in a comment about the move. “I'm excited to join Apolitical with its focus on the people who power our governments.” 

The company announced her new role on Tuesday. It’s unclear when exactly Zarek left USDS, a digital services team that details staff to federal agencies for projects such as modernizing child care applications and creating a certification program for federal buyers purchasing digital services.

USDS and the Office of Management and Budget confirmed Zarek’s departure but did not respond to questions about that timeline or who is taking on the role now. 

At USDS, Zarek was responsible for the strategy and operations of the 200-plus strong organization, including work to strengthen internal processes and expand digital talent capacity in government — an effort she spoke with Nextgov/FCW about earlier this year. 

“We see just record numbers of folks throwing their hats in the ring and applying to roles here at USDS and throughout government as we see more and more technology roles open, so we want to be sure we are ready to place those talented folks,” she said at the time.

Zarek was recognized with a Fed100 award earlier this year for her work at USDS.

Before USDS, Zarek was the executive director at Georgetown’s Beeck Center and previously held roles at Code for America, Mozilla, the White House and the National Archives and Records Administration. She is also a co-founder of U.S. Digital Response, a nonprofit that uses pro bono tech experts to help address government needs.