Social Security Advisory Board announces expert panel to review Social Security’s information technology modernization efforts
The Social Security Advisory Board has appointed an independent, expert panel to review Social Security’s efforts to modernize its information technology (IT), which is essential to delivering effective service to the public. The Information Technology Systems Expert Panel (“Panel”) will utilize their expertise and experience to examine progress and key initiatives of Social Security’s IT Modernization Plan, including how systems processes are developed, modified and used by the agency. The Panel will also review the success of the systems modernization from the enduser’s perspective, including those inside and outside the agency. The Panel will meet beginning in the fall of 2019 and will report its findings to the Board in early fiscal year 2021.
The 2019-2020 Panel is chaired by Alan Balutis, PhD, a distinguished fellow and senior director of North American Public Sector Cisco Systems’ Business Solutions Group, the firm’s global strategy and consulting arm. Before joining the network firm, Balutis served more than 30 years in public service and industry leadership roles. Balutis is a founding member of the Federal Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council. As a founding member, he led its strategic planning and outreach committees, helped create the council’s e-government committee and served as its first chair. At the Department of Commerce, Balutis headed the management and budget office for over a decade and was the department’s first CIO. Balutis won the Federal Computer Week FED 100 seven times and is a member of the Government Computer News as well as the Federal Computer Week halls of fame. He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).
The other Panel members are:
Dan Chenok, executive director of the IBM Center for the Business of Government, is a CIO Strategic Advisors to Government Executives (SAGE) with the Partnership for Public Service, fellow of NAPA, and chair of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. Chenok is also a member of the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security Board of Directors, American University IT Executive Council, and serves as co-chair of the Senior Executives Association Community of Change for Governance Innovation. Chenok served as the Office of Management and Budget’s branch chief for information policy and technology with oversight of federal information and IT policy, including electronic government, computer security, privacy and IT budgeting. Chenok served on President Obama’s transition team for the Technology, Innovation and Government Reform group and won numerous honors and awards, including a 2010 Federal 100 winner for work on the presidential transition, and the 2016 Eagle Award for Industry Executive of the Year.
Nani A. Coloretti is the senior vice president for financial and business strategy at the Urban Institute. Coloretti served the Obama administration for almost eight years, most recently as deputy secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As the second-most senior official at HUD, Coloretti managed the department’s day-to-day operations and cross-cutting program initiatives, including a $45 billion annual budget and approximately 8,000 employees. Coloretti also served as the assistant secretary for management at the Department of the Treasury. Coloretti is a chief operating officer SAGE at the Partnership for Public Service, a NAPA fellow, a director on the board of Bank of the West and serves on the advisory board for Access Democracy.
Renato (“Renny”) A. DiPentima, PhD serves on the Boards of Directors of Cap Gemini Government Solutions, Amida Technology Solutions, iNovex Information Systems, and Gunnison Consulting Group, as well as the Advisory Board at Blue Delta Capital Partners. DiPentima also served as a board director for Brocade Communication Systems.
DiPentima held several senior management positions in the federal government, including serving as Social Security Administration’s deputy commissioner and as the agency’s CIO.
Martha Dorris has over thirty years of federal government experience in information technology acquisition roles, ranging from technical and program management to customer and citizen experience. Dorris was the deputy associate administrator in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies (now the Technology Transformation Service) for the majority of 34 years focused on improving the services government delivers to citizens. Dorris has been active in the information technology community worldwide. Dorris served as the chair of the American Council for Technology and fulfilled numerous positions with the International Council for IT in Government Administration. Dorris was recently elected to the World Information Technology and Services Alliance Board of Directors. Dorris is one of 21 directors elected for the 2018-2020 term and the only representative from the United States.
William (Bill) D. Eggers is the executive director of Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights where Eggers is responsible for the firm’s public sector thought leadership. Eggers’ newest book is Delivering on Digital: The Innovators and Technologies that are Transforming Government (Deloitte Insights, 2016). Eggers has authored eight other books, including The Solution Revolution: How Government, Business, and Social Enterprises are Teaming up to Solve Society’s Biggest Problems (Harvard Business Review Press 2013) which The Wall Street Journal calls pulsating with new ideas about civic and business and philanthropic engagement,” and was named to ten best books of the year lists.
Mark Alan Forman was the first administrator at the Office of E-Government and Information Technology. Forman was the first person in the federal government to fulfill responsibilities normally associated with a corporate CIO. Forman is currently vice president, digital government for Unisys Federal Systems. Forman’s prior experience includes senior positions at KPMG, IBM, and the US Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Forman has over 30 years of experience in successful government modernization initiatives, including turn-around of poor-performing major transformation initiatives, federal enterprise architecture, IT governance, cybersecurity, acquisition, and IT strategy.
Greg Giddens, partner with Potomac Ridge Consulting, is a chief acquisition officer SAGE with the Partnership for Public Service, a fellow of NAPA, and a member of National Contract Management Association Board of Advisors. Giddens previously served as chief acquisition officer for Veterans Affairs (VA) and as the principal executive director for VA’s Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction. Giddens has over 36 years of federal service and prior to the VA, Giddens served in DHS and the Department of Defense where Giddens led large, transformational programs. Giddens has twice received the FED 100 award and also received the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives.