After an almost three-year vacancy, the Department of Veterans Affairs will be getting a new CIO on Monday: LaVerne Council.
Council was confirmed by the Senate as the next VA CIO and assistant secretary for information and technology by a voice vote on June 23. She will be officially sworn in on July 6.
She will lead the department’s implementation of new technologies and manage the VA’s $4 billion IT portfolio.
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During the confirmation process, Council touted her experience as an IT leader at global brands like Johnson and Johnson, Dell and Ernst and Young.
“I plan to bring these core capabilities to the VA and create a fiscally responsible organization led by employees that have the ability to quickly drive to the expected results,” she said. “This will also increase the ability to attract and maintain highly qualified personnel, which is a requirement if you hope to have world class IT.”
Council will be taking over for Stephen Warren, who has been serving in a dual role for the last few years, will go back to being just the principle deputy assistant secretary for IT.
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“I’m really excited about getting [Council’s] leadership in,” Warren said.
VA Secretary Bob McDonald also welcomed Council to the team, as well as the agency’s newly confirmed undersecretary for health, David Shulkin.
“VA is very excited to have David Shulkin and LaVerne Council join us as undersecretary for health and assistant secretary for information technology and chief information officer,” McDonald said. “Their leadership and years of experience will be tremendously important as we continue to work to improve our services for the veterans and families we are privileged to serve.”
