The U.S. Department of State announced today that Dr. Kelly Fletcher will serve as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO).
In her role as the Department’s Chief Information Officer, Dr. Fletcher will establish the strategic direction of information technology, including oversight for $2.5 billion of programs throughout the Department of State.
Dr. Fletcher brings a wealth of experience in both technological and strategic resourcing domains. She is a member of the Senior Executive Service, having served as the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Defense.
Prior to joining DoD CIO, Dr. Fletcher served as the Deputy Director for Program Analysis & Evaluation at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where she supervised and coordinated the development of the DHS-wide budget (~$50B appropriated). She also led the realignment of the Federal Protective Services (more than 10,000 employees, ~$1B annual spend) from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to the Management directorate.
Dr. Fletcher served in the Department of the Navy from December 2016 to September 2018 in roles including Acting Department of the Navy CIO and Business Modernization Lead. As the CIO, she provided strategic leadership for all Department of the Navy information technology policy and budget decisions and led a Department-wide reorganization of information technology governance and oversight.
Dr. Fletcher spent six years with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) where she served as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director and as an operations research analyst. Prior to her government service, she worked in the private sector as an engineer.
Dr. Fletcher’s appointment as CIO aligns with Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for modernization of American diplomacy. Securing top talent to drive technological innovation helps ensure an interconnected, secure, and informed Department for 21st century diplomacy.
