NASA Names New Chief Information Officer

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe announced today,
Patricia L. Dunnington is the agency’s new Chief Information
Officer (CIO).

“Pat brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our
management team, ” Administrator O’Keefe said. “She has an
intimate knowledge of the agency, and she will be a key
leader, planner and manager as we continue to apply cutting
edge information technology to NASA,” he said.

The CIO reports directly to the NASA Administrator and is
responsible for the development of an integrated focus on
information resource management strategies, policies, and
practices. These encompass strategic planning; standards in
computing, networking, and security; establishment of system
and information architectures; and incorporation of life-
cycle management concepts into information technology
acquisitions and management.

Dunnington succeeds Paul Strassman. Strassman is NASA’s
Special Assistant to the Administrator for Information
Management, and he was also serving as acting CIO. A leading
expert in the IT community, he came to NASA last spring to
develop a strategy and architecture. Having succeeded in
that task, he plans to retire to private life. “Paul has
given us a much needed road map to address our information
technology needs for the future. He’s introduced
contemporary business practices and a game plan that will
help us fully implement the plan,” Administrator O’Keefe
said.

Dunnington was NASA’s Deputy Chief Information Officer since
August 2002. Prior to her headquarters assignment, she
completed a Senior Executive Service Candidate Development
Program Developmental Work Assignment with Cisco Systems,
Inc., San Jose, Calif. She also served as the Chief
Information Officer of NASA’s Langley Research Center,
Hampton, Va.

Dunnington joined NASA in 1982 as a Presidential Management
Intern in the Office of Aero-Space Technology and served in
a number of increasingly responsible positions, including
CIO for the enterprise office. She also served as NASA’s
Acting Deputy CIO in 1996. She received her B.A. from The
Catholic University of America, Washington and her M.G.A
from the University of Maryland, College Park, Md. She has
received numerous awards including NASA’s Exceptional
Service Medal and NASA’s Langley Research Center Superior
Accomplishment Award.