After serving for almost six months as acting CIO at the Department of Health and Human Services, Beth Anne Killoran was named the official agency CIO.
Killoran stepped into the acting role after former HHS CIO Frank Baitman left government in December 2015. Killoran served as Baitman's deputy prior to his departure.
The department advertised for a permanent CIO back in February and closed applications in mid-March. After sifting through the applications, HHS leadership chose to elevate Killoran to full CIO on July 8. Her official start date is July 11.
Before joining HHS in 2014, Killoran spent 11 years with the Department of Homeland Security, working across a number of IT leadership positions.
"Secretary [Sylvia] Burwell and I are thrilled to welcome Beth to her new role," HHS acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield said of the appointment. "Our department is stronger thanks to her willingness to serve the American people."
Wakefield noted cybersecurity will be one of Killoran's prime missions.
"To protect all of our IT systems — from desktops to the personally identifiable information and protected health information our department works with — we need more than an investment in funding or new technology. We need a cyber-savvy workforce," she said. "That's why I'm pleased to announce that Beth Anne Killoran has agreed to lead our work on IT and cybersecurity as the new chief information officer at HHS."
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
