White House CIO Steps Down To Coordinate Ebola Efforts At USAID

News outlets report on Steven VanRoekel’s move from the White House to USAID to help lead the U.S. Ebola response.

The Hill: USAID seeks to bring high-tech fight to Ebola
“The White House’s chief information officer is being dispatched to improve the government’s use of technology and data to respond to the Ebola crisis, an administration official said Friday…” (Sink, 9/19).

Slate: White House Chief Information Officer Will Run U.S. Ebola Response
“…VanRoekel, who worked at Microsoft for 15 years before transitioning into government work in 2009, will coordinate Ebola programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development…” (Newman, 9/19).

Wall Street Journal: U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel Steps Down to Join Ebola Fight
“…The spread of the Ebola virus is a multi-dimensional crisis that involves people, culture, and logistics and it is essential that we have real time data that points to gaps, trends, and outcomes, said an administration official, in an e-mail. ‘Steve’s unique talents and experiences will help up elevate our response at a critical juncture,’ said the official…” (King, 9/19).

Washington Post: CIO VanRoekel steps down, returns to USAID to work on Ebola response
“…In his new role, VanRoekel is expected to advise USAID’s leadership on supporting its Ebola response with technology and data: tracking trends and outcomes in recovery, for instance. VanRoekel could also help USAID make use of mobile technology to disperse life-saving information to communities affected by the outbreak, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said in a statement…” (Ravindranath, 9/19).

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