Richard McKinney, the Transportation Department‘s chief information officer, has pinpointed cybersecurity as his main focus for the agency in an interview with FCW published Tuesday.
In the interview with Colby Hochmuth, McKinney spoke about his first year at DOT, his work to leverage data management in government and the challenges to information technology at DOT and other agencies.
“A major challenge in government IT is ensuring we remain current with emerging technology that is changing constantly,” said McKinney.
“This environment requires an agile workforce that can adapt to requirements and capabilities that change based on available technology solutions.”
Hochmuth reports McKinney’s work as co-chair of the CIO Council’s Subcommittee on the Workforce has helped him to collaborate with the Office of Personnel Management and the CIO and chief human capital officers communities to standardize qualifications for IT personnel, including adaptability to changing technology and requirements.
McKinney also expects to continue driving data transparency at DOT by publishing more data sets for public access, and to manage the collection, sharing and analysis of all those data with the help of a new chief data officer.
“The digital world of transportation is really in its infancy, and DOT has a leadership role to play along with our state, local, and industry partners, to standardize data collection and data elements for the benefit of all,” McKinney said.
