Steven VanRoekel
Encyclopedia
Steven VanRoekel was named on August 4, 2011, to be the second Chief Information Officer
of the United States Federal Government. Previously, he worked at the Federal Communications Commission
, the United States Agency for International Development
, and at Microsoft
.
in various capacities from 1994 to 2009, including a stint as Speech and Strategy Assistant to Bill Gates
the corporation's co-founder and Senior Director of the Windows Server
division.
where he oversaw all operational, technical, financial, and human resource aspects of the agency. During his tenure at the FCC, VanRoekel was credited with jump-starting efforts to modernize the agency’s aging IT infrastructure. He oversaw the relaunch of the agency's web presence into an open-source based, cloud powered platform, launched a Twitter account that grew to more than 400,000 followers, launched the first federal “developer” website, crowd-sourcing data with help from citizens for projects like the National Broadband Map, and became the first agency to accept public comment via social media tools. He also updated the FCC staff’s use of technology by deploying WiFi throughout the building, installing Internet-powered phones, and creating the Technology Experience Center (TEC).
(USAID).
.
Chief information officer
Chief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...
of the United States Federal Government. Previously, he worked at the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
, the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
, and at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
Private Sector Career
VanRoekel worked for MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
in various capacities from 1994 to 2009, including a stint as Speech and Strategy Assistant to Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
the corporation's co-founder and Senior Director of the Windows Server
Windows Server
Windows Server is a brand name for a group of server operating systems released by Microsoft Corporation. All are part of Microsoft Servers.- Members :This brand includes the following software:* Windows 2000 Server* Windows Server 2003...
division.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
VanRoekel began his public sector career in 2009 as the Managing Director of the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
where he oversaw all operational, technical, financial, and human resource aspects of the agency. During his tenure at the FCC, VanRoekel was credited with jump-starting efforts to modernize the agency’s aging IT infrastructure. He oversaw the relaunch of the agency's web presence into an open-source based, cloud powered platform, launched a Twitter account that grew to more than 400,000 followers, launched the first federal “developer” website, crowd-sourcing data with help from citizens for projects like the National Broadband Map, and became the first agency to accept public comment via social media tools. He also updated the FCC staff’s use of technology by deploying WiFi throughout the building, installing Internet-powered phones, and creating the Technology Experience Center (TEC).
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Before he was named CIO, he was the Executive Director of Citizen and Organizational Engagement at the United States Agency for International DevelopmentUnited States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(USAID).
Early Life and Education
VanRoekel received a B.A. in Management of Information Systems from Iowa State UniversityIowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
.