Virginia names its first chief data officer

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has appointed Carlos Rivero to be the Commonwealth’s first Chief Data Officer. This position was created last month after Northam signed the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act into law. The law will now require the CDO to develop guidelines regarding data usage, storage, and privacy, and coordinate and oversee data sharing in the Commonwealth. The intent here is that these processes will make state data more transparent and interagency information sharing more effective.

Before this position, Rivero has had long stints in the federal government and academia, most recently serving as the top data officer and chief enterprise architect at the Federal Transit Administration. With the hiring of Rivero, Virginia becomes the latest state to add a Chief Data Officer. The addition of Rivero is one of multiple new personnel initiatives for the Commonwealth, as last month Robby Demeria was appointed to be the Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for technology, and will be in charge of developing programs relating to cybersecurity, unmanned systems, and smart-cities initiatives.

Source: StateScoop