Press Release
USDA CXO Dashboards Declared “Innovation of the Year”
CIO Gary Washington Receives Federal Leadership Award
(Washington, D.C., November 2, 2018) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Chief Executive Officer (CXO) Dashboard Project has been recognized by FedScoop Magazine as the Federal Government’s Innovation of the Year for creating the first comprehensive suite of administrative data dashboards. In addition, USDA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) Gary Washington has been recognized for USDA's Information Technology (IT) modernization strategy with the Federal Leadership Award.
Each year Fed Scoop Magazine recognizes outstanding achievements across the federal government. Since being sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue has made it USDA’s goal to become the most effective, most efficient, and most customer-focused department in the entire federal government.
“No doubt, data-driven decisions lead to more effective outcomes for the USDA, our customers, and the American public as a whole. I am proud of our entire office of the CIO for their focus on IT modernizations and for demonstrating dynamic, innovative organizational leadership,” said Secretary Perdue. “These FedScoop Awards give the USDA family additional validation that we are well on the way to becoming the best managed agency in the entire Federal government.”
Background:
Recently, USDA’s Chief Data Officer, Ted Kaouk interviewed with Government Matters about the CXO Dashboard Project. You may click HERE or on the image below to watch the interview.
 Over the course of FY18, USDA created over 120 dashboard views that provide USDA leadership with information for decision making on USDA’S seven main administrative functions: IT, human resources (HR), finance, property and fleet, contracting and procurement, homeland security and operations. What’s most innovative about the dashboards is their ability to bring together a multitude of data sources into a single USDA analytics platform. With it, leaders are reducing the time and effort it takes to unlock key insights and make better decisions. The information they need is living in one place and providing them with a single, trusted version of the truth.
USDA is already reaping the benefits of easily accessible data made possible by the CXO dashboards. Manual processes that increase the probability of error and risk are being reduced or eliminated. Historical data and current trends are being combined to enable leaders to identity areas of risk and opportunity. The dashboard project is also serving as a catalyst for creating a more comprehensive approach to data management across the Department, which is now focused on improving data integrity and availability for all USDA stakeholders.
USDA’s CIO Gary Washington has years of experience at USDA, having previously served as CIO for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. His impressive resume includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Food and Drug Administration, and private industry. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Gary is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Strayer University in Washington, D.C.
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