The departments of Interior, Treasury and Environmental Protection Agency have recently named new chief information officers, while the Energy Department is now on its third CIO since January.
None of the new CIOs have significant federal agency experience, and it’s unclear if any have even been CIOs before.
The turnover among agency CIOs, which currently includes seven positions that are either vacant or have acting CIOs, has been highly unusual, even at the start of a new administration. A couple agencies like the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs are waiting presidential nominations.
This may be the reason why Federal CIO Greg Barbaccia sent out his 16 principles of what it takes to be an agency CIO earlier this week.
“The Trump-Vance administration is not business as usual. This document below outlines a new operating standard for how we lead, serve, and build in federal technology. It’s not a checklist or a compliance exercise— it’s a culture shift. One rooted in urgency, ownership, and the belief that government tech can and must deliver at the highest level. Whether you sit in the Office of the Federal CIO or lead technology for an agency, this is the bar. Read it carefully. Share it with your teams. And hold yourselves — and each other — to it,” Barbaccia wrote in the email obtained by Federal News Network.
The principles are exactly what you’d expect them to be ranging from trust as the foundation to before you act understanding your mission, system and impact to leading when it’s time and follow when it’s not.
“Choosing to serve in this office means choosing to build. It means choosing accountability over comfort, clarity over confusion and outcomes over process,” Barbaccia wrote. “This document outlines the expectations we hold for ourselves — and each other as we modernize the digital infrastructure of the United States. This is not a typical government shop. We are here to fix what’s broken and build what’s missing. The standards below are how we ensure that mission is fulfilled.”
Emails to OMB seeking further comments on the Barbaccia’s principles were not returned.
Mixed reactions to prinicples
Former and current federal officials who’ve reviewed a copy of the CIO principles had mixed reactions.
One current federal official said the message came across as patronizing, noting that many cabinet agency CIOs lead organizations of thousands.
“The CIO also said the message also seems to insinuate that career civil servants do not already embody these values, which is an extremely insulting assumption,” said the federal official.
Another current technology executive appreciated that the email continued to promote the consistent idea that federal IT is non-partisan.
“More importantly, words are the easy part. What will be truly important is how this gets translated into budget priorities, guidance documents and most critically, the treatment of federal employees,” the executive said. “Since the start of the administration, we’ve seen dedicated, highly qualified people forced out, had their integrity questioned or the value of their work diminished. The contrast between those actions and this message will be clear to those of us still in federal IT. Trust is a two way street. Can he earn back the trust of those of us still working in federal IT? That’s the key question.”
A former federal technology executive said while their initial reaction was similar, when they thought about it a little more critically and considered all the new technology leaders coming into government, this type of message is clearly aimed at them.
“If you’ve been a CIO and been around for some time, what’s being said in inherent in the job. There is nothing really new. I think as a new CIO and with so much turnover, I read it as he needs to wrangle the Federal CIO Council and set expectations for agency CIOs,” the former federal executive said. “Many of the new CIOs do not seem to have strong management or leadership experience, so the Federal CIO says ‘I expect you to work with the business,’ that knowledge tends to come through when you get into the Senior Executive Service (SES) and when you go through executive core qualifications (ECQs). I think he thinks he has to train the new CIOs.”
New tech execs are new to the CIO role
It’s hard to tell by the LinkedIn profiles how much large scale leadership experience these new CIOs have. For instance — Interior’s new CIO, Paul McInerny, came from Space X and was a software engineer previously.
Treasury’s new CIO is Sam Corcos. He came to the government under DOGE where he worked at the IRS. Corcos is a former co-CEO of health care startup called Levels.
At EPA, Carter Farmer is the new CIO and has some government experience, having worked at the U.S. Institute of Peace for the last seven years as the director of IT systems and solutions. He also came over with the DOGE team.
It seems many agencies are using the new authorities the Office of Personnel Management extended in February to hire these new CIOs. OPM changed the rules to let agencies make CIOs positions SES general reserve instead of career reserve, meaning they are easier to fill with private sector experts.
Current and former federal technology executives say the way to change culture and create a team isn’t by email. It’s unclear if Barbaccia plans on following up on these principles with meetings or “off-sites” with the CIO Council. These executives say that driving these principles through the CIO Council would serve him well.
“This reads like I know better than all of you and none of you have been doing these things and I’m going to tell you what to do. It’s not that these things are bad, it’s the way he is going about it,” said another former federal technology official. “One of mistakes in last administration was not having the CIO Council meet face-to-face. It just didn’t build the team work. One of things I’d do is meet in person and create the team.”
The former official added creating culture and building teams is creating a conversation about shared values and asking the agency CIOs for their input on how best to build the culture Barbaccia is seeking to establish.
“It’s tone deaf in how it comes across because he doesn’t start by saying anything about some of you have been around for a long time and know this, and he just wants to make clear his shared values. It’s more like he is saying, ‘you all are broken and this is what we are going to do to fix you,’” said the former official. “If he believes folks aren’t doing these things, you aren’t going to create change through email. I would read this as he’s trying to fix the government, but I’m not sure he understands the role of the federal CIO which is has to lead through influence.”
Federal CIO Greg Barbaccia’s operating standards for agency CIO:
Trust is the foundation: “Every success we’ll have is downstream of trust. Trust among teammates, between agencies, with the public, and with our partners. Trust is extended to you on day one and it is yours to lose. You will be exposed to sensitive information: interagency cybersecurity gaps, budget vulnerabilities, contract disputes, employee performance data and more. With transparency comes responsibility. Don’t lie. Don’t omit to mislead. Know when to speak and when to withhold. If in doubt, do not tout. Confused? Ask a lead. No one gets in trouble for asking. Breach of trust is the one failure from which there is no guaranteed recovery. Everything else is coachable.”
Exercise judgment relentlessly: “Judgment is not instinct—it’s a learned skill. Learn it. Practice it. Good judgment requires understanding both intent (why are we doing this?) and context (what are the circumstances?). If either is unclear, you are expected to ask until it is not.”
Before you act: Understand the mission; Understand the system; Understand the impact. “No matter your title, you are empowered to improve how we think, decide and execute—by bringing good judgment to the table.”
Own the outcome: “Imagine every system failure is your fault. Act accordingly. Don’t limit yourself to your job description. If you see a problem, you own the solution Default to action, not passivity. Push beyond your comfort zone. This is how we shift the culture of federal IT from slow and reactive to bold and effective. This office only works if everyone behaves like a founder.”
Show your work: “Transparency is the fuel of accountability and shared learning. We are not interested in black box decisions or vague plans. Document your logic. Share your assumptions. Make it easy for others to follow. Ask the same of your colleagues. This creates a ‘hive mind’ where decisions improve through scrutiny and learning compounds across the team.”
Truth over comfort: We are truth-seeking above all. The truth is often inconvenient, uncomfortable, or career challenging—but we pursue it anyway. Call out broken processes. Identify policy contradictions. Challenge assumptions, even from the top. We don’t sugarcoat: the stakes are too high. This is a mission-driven team, not a compliance-driven bureaucracy.”
Default to positive intent: “Start every interaction assuming your colleagues are here for the right reasons. This reduces friction, improves collaboration and supports high bandwidth communication. If something feels off, assume miscommunication before malice—and talk it out. Extend the benefit of the doubt. Expect it in return.”
Burnout is a national security risk: “You can’t deliver if you’re depleted. And you’re not serving the mission by pretending everything is fine. Know the signs: cynicism, disengagement, irritability [and] fatigue. Speak up early. Leads are here to help you deal if it’s too much. Leads are responsible for managing workloads and expectations. Preventing burnout requires intentional investment in wellbeing. We’re in this for the long haul—act accordingly.
Feedback is a civic duty: “High-performing teams give and receive feedback constantly—and constructively. Feedback should be frequent, actionable and kind. Don’t wait for a performance review. Don’t talk behind backs. Say it directly, or escalate it responsibly. We’re not here to coast. We’re here to grow.
Label the problem: “Call a problem what it is—don’t avoid it to protect egos, maintain surface harmony, or wait for someone else to say it. Call out technical debt. Flag a failed procurement strategy. Surface ambiguous goals. Name the ‘elephants in the room.’ Nothing gets better until someone identifies what’s broken. Be that someone.”
Commitments are sacred: “This office runs on trust and delivery. If you say you’ll do something, it gets done—on time, to spec, or renegotiated early. Don’t ghost. Don’t leave others guessing. If priorities shift, communicate fast. Everyone has too much to do. That’s why clarity and follow through matter.”
Lead when it’s time, follow when it’s not: “Leadership isn’t about hierarchy—it’s about ownership. When it’s your turn to lead, take full responsibility for vision, planning, communication, and outcomes. When you’re not leading: Contribute fully. Voice dissent during planning. Execute the final plan with conviction. Mission first doesn’t mean consensus first. It means clarity, commitment and speed.”
Proactivity over permission seeking: “We’re here to build new systems—not wait for new instructions. If you need information, go find it. If something’s unclear, ask fast. If bad news is coming, surface it early. Don’t assume someone else is handling it. Don’t hope the issue will resolve on its own. You are the system now.”
Cross-functional thinking is mandatory: “Government doesn’t need more people who only care about their own swim lane. We need generalists who can spot patterns, challenge assumptions, and think holistically. Learn the language of other functions. Ask how policy affects engineering. Understand how tech affects procurement. Think like a product manager, a security officer and a strategist. Our edge is interdisciplinary thinking applied at speed.”
Forward deploy to earn trust and surface truth: “The mission doesn’t live in conference rooms at headquarters. It lives in the systems, networks and workflows of the 100+subagencies that make up the federal government. If we’re not embedded in their world, we can’t claim to understand their challenges—let alone solve them. That’s why we forward deploy. Whether it’s a field office, a regional data center, or a program team buried under legacy systems and outdated contracts, our job is to meet them where they are. Proximity creates perspective. The best policy and architecture decisions are informed by on-the-ground reality. Trust is earned face-to-face. When agency teams see that we show up, listen, and help without judgment— they start picking up the phone. Influence requires empathy. Transformation doesn’t happen from the top down. It spreads when we understand lived pain points and tailor solutions that work in real world environments. You don’t need to be asked to visit a sub-agency. You should volunteer. Show up early. Stay late. Ask the hard questions— and the basic ones. This is not a remote control mission. It’s a hands-on, forward-leaning effort to unlock the latent potential of government systems by working alongside those who maintain and endure them every day. If we want to modernize the system, we have to walk through it.”
This office only works if you’re all in: “We are building a new operating model for government. One that delivers faster, secures smarter and serves better. That won’t happen with part-time passion or halfhearted effort. This job isn’t easy. It’s not always fun. But it matters— immensely. We are here to serve the public and leave behind a better government than we found. That’s the standard.”
Your best is our best: “Your commitment, passion, and drive will deliver success. I am most thankful for all you do!”
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