Obama names Chief Information Officer

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/05/art.boberry0305.gi.jpg caption=" Pres. Obama, who sports a special PDA since being sworn in, named his Chief Information Officer Thursday."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama has named a Washington, DC official the federal government’s Chief Information Officer, the White House announced Thursday.

Vivek Kundra joins the new administration after serving two of the president’s political supporters, working for Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty as the capital city’s CIO, and for Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the state’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Technology.

“Vivek Kundra will bring a depth of experience in the technology arena and a commitment to lowering the cost of government operations to this position,” the president said in a statement. “I have directed him to work to ensure that we are using the spirit of American innovation and the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations. As Chief Information Officer, he will play a key role in making sure our government is running in the most secure, open, and efficient way possible.”

As the federal government’s CIO, Kundra will direct “the policy and strategic planning of federal information technology investments and is responsible for oversight of federal technology spending,” according to the White House, and work closely with the federal government’s Chief Technology Officer to advance the new administration’s technology agenda.

President Obama has yet to name his Chief Technology Officer.