Today the District of Columbia Council voted to confirm Acting Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Rob Mancini as permanent CTO of the District.
As District CTO, Mancini heads the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), an agency of over 500 staff charged with providing technology services and leadership for 86 agencies, 39,000 employees, over 600,000 residents and businesses, and millions of visitors to the District. DC Mayor Vincent Gray named Mancini Interim CTO on January 3, 2011 and nominated Mancini to serve as permanent CTO on March 16, 2011.
Mancini brings to the CTO post an extensive technology background in both government and the private sector. He has over 25 years of experience in delivery and management of mission-critical technology programs in large enterprise environments.
Mancini has served OCTO in multiple capacities for over seven years since January 2003. As manager of OCTO’s Citywide Messaging and Directory Services Program, he lead the consolidation of multiple, fragmented, antiquated email platforms into a unified, high-performing citywide email system serving 39,000 staff. In December 2010, Mancini was named Deputy CTO for Infrastructure, and on January 3, 2011 Mayor Gray named Mancini Interim CTO.
Since taking the reins of OCTO six months ago, Mancini has—among other things: right-sized the agency’s budget; expanded the District’s high-speed telecommunications network, DC-Net; supported the District’s public schools with high-grade infrastructure and new applications; facilitated neighborhood policing through new mobile applications for MPD; created new performance management dashboards for many District agencies; expanded the cost-saving Smart Buyer and ITSA technology procurement programs; broadened the tools and data on the District’s public transparency websites; and launched a digital inclusion program to bridge the District’s digital divide.
Before joining OCTO, Mancini served as an information-technology leader for major international firms such as British Aerospace/BAE Systems and America Online, where he managed multi-million-dollar technology budgets and led technically complex programs of national scope. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Radford University and a master’s in information systems from Shippensburg University. Mancini will move from Maryland to live in the District.
Today’s full District Council vote to confirm Mancini as CTO followed a unanimous vote June 29 by the Council’s Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, chaired by Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3). In its report on Mancini's confirmation, the Committee noted Mancini's “twenty-five year career” that “includes significant experience in several different areas of information technology,” his “clear record of achievement,” his broad knowledge of “the needs of the agency and the city;” and his “commitment to not only improve the agency but to leverage its resources to improve other District agencies as well.”
Mancini said, “I’m honored and humbled by my confirmation to join the Gray administration and serve the citizens of the District. I appreciate the confidence Mayor Gray and the Council have shown in me by naming me to this important post. Even through challenging budget times, we at OCTO remain inspired by the power of technology to improve government and expand opportunity. I will continue leading OCTO mindful of the need to use our resources wisely and the commitment to serve our constituents with the utmost dedication.”