- Carter Farmer has emerged as the reported federal CIO pick
- EPA opens search for new CIO
- The 2026 FedCiv Summit will explore AI, cybersecurity and more
Carter Farmer, chief information officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, is the White House’s choice to serve as federal CIO, FedScoop reported Wednesday, citing multiple sources.
Changes in federal IT leadership come as civilian agencies continue to advance their technology priorities. Federal technology officials will discuss AI, IT modernization, federal shared services and cybersecurity at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29. Sign up now to hear directly from the officials shaping federal civilian IT.
Farmer would succeed Greg Barbaccia, who left government at the end of August and returned to Palantir.
EPA posted the CIO opening on USAJOBS on Monday. Applications are due Oct. 13.
What Did Greg Barbaccia Say About Carter Farmer?
Barbaccia, a two-time Wash100 awardee, told FedScoop that he and Farmer share a similar culture and way of working, and that he expects Farmer to bring the same focus to the job alongside the Office of the Federal CIO and the CIO Council.
“I think he’s a great fit for the role,” Barbaccia said.
Who Is Carter Farmer?
Farmer is the CIO and deputy assistant administrator at EPA, where he has led the Office of the Chief Information Officer since May 2025. The office runs the agency’s enterprise IT infrastructure and services, covering computing hardware, software licensing, networks, data centers, cybersecurity, cloud and application hosting, high-performance computing, telecommunications, mobile devices, and the agency’s IT service desk.
Under his direction, EPA has applied AI to several use cases, with subject matter experts reviewing the outputs, Farmer said during a webinar in June. He has also encouraged federal agencies to ask the right questions when considering the use of AI to tackle problems.
Before joining EPA, Farmer served as director of IT systems and solutions at the U.S. Institute of Peace. According to his LinkedIn profile, he previously served as lead technologist at Amtrak, lead systems engineer at Telarix, and systems administrator and technical support engineer at DISYS.
What Other Developments Surround the Federal CIO Role?
In September, Farmer joined the Technology Modernization Fund board as a full voting member, alongside three alternate members that include Thomas Flagg, deputy federal CIO at the Office of Management and Budget.
Flagg, who previously served as CIO at the Department of Education, was named deputy federal CIO in May and was reported to be the default acting official following Barbaccia’s departure.
The federal CIO role carries priorities Barbaccia outlined in a February memo to agency CIOs, which included strengthening CIOs’ oversight of how their agencies acquire technology and holding regular meetings with leaders of technology suppliers.
