President Donald Trump has nominated Gary Shatswell as chief information officer and assistant secretary for information and technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Senate said Tuesday that it has received Shatswell’s nomination for the dual-hatted role. If confirmed, Shatswell will succeed Kurt DelBene, who departed the VA in January 2025 to retire.
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Who Is Gary Shatswell?
Shatswell has over three decades of experience as an executive in the private and public sectors. He currently serves as a senior adviser to VA Secretary Douglas Collins.
Prior to joining the VA, he was group chief information officer at Unilever Prestige, where he led efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, data and enterprise systems capabilities across the company’s global portfolio of brands.
His career also includes senior leadership roles at Paula’s Choice Skincare, the retail company Sur La Table, the restaurant management firm Sizzling Platter, and the visual content creator and marketplace Getty Images.
Who Were Trump’s Previous Nominees to Be VA’s CIO?
Shatswell is the third nominee put forward by the White House this term for the CIO and assistant secretary roles at the VA, Nextgov/FCW reported.
President Trump previously picked Ryan Cote, former Department of Transportation CIO, for the dual-hatted position. The administration withdrew Cote’s nomination weeks later.
The White House also nominated Alan Boehme, who served as chief technology officer at H&M Group, in 2025. Boehme’s nomination was also rescinded by the administration.
In the absence of a Senate-confirmed official, Paul Lawrence, the VA’s deputy secretary, has been performing the responsibilities of the CIO and the assistant secretary for information and technology in an acting capacity.
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