Ted Kaouk, chief data officer of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), will be transitioning to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in October as its CDO, Federal News Network reported Friday.
He is also slated to assume the role of deputy director for human capital data management and modernization at OPM, while Chris Alvarez will succeed him as USDA acting chief data officer.
Kaouk has served the USDA for nine years and was recognized for his data analytics expertise and leadership both in the agency and across the federal government as chairman of the Federal CDO Council.
He worked as a special assistant and program manager at the USDA Rural Development Office of the Undersecretary and also became the chief of staff in the department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.
At the CDO Council, he led the creation of a COVID-19 working group that collaborated with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and State Department for the visualization of pandemic-related data.
He earned his bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s degree from the University of Virginia. He also holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park.