NASA CIO Renee Wynn Set to Retire
NASA Chief Information Officer Renee Wynn is retiring on April 30, 2020, after 30 years in Federal service. She is one of the longest-serving departmental CIOs at NASA and in the Federal Government. Before coming to NASA, Wynn spent 25 years at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she served in several executive roles, including as acting CIO and deputy CIO.
During her NASA tenure, Wynn said she had her work cut out for her. She was instrumental in improving the Agency’s external reputation regarding cybersecurity and how information technology was managed at NASA.
“As an Agency, when I arrived, we did not fully understand the true threats—through IT hardware and software—that this Agency faced. There were definite needs for significant improvement on how we utilized modern tools to protect NASA. I am very proud of how my team worked in trying to change the culture here at NASA to embed cybersecurity in the way we do business,” said Wynn.
Besides helping to improve the Agency’s cybersecurity posture, she helped raise Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scores up from an F to a C+ and successfully regained control over IT spending, helping to reduce redundancies and unnecessary costs.
Wynn said she’s proud of her accomplishments, but it’s time to move on to the next chapter in her life. She says she doesn’t have any immediate plans. Her priority will be a little rest and relaxation with her family—then, maybe later, doing something in the private sector. Wynn said there are a couple of things she will miss about her job.
“I wish I could be here to see many of our initiatives, such as MAP [Mission Support Future Architecture Program] for IT, come to fruition. And, of course, I definitely would have loved to have had a front-row seat to the Mars 2020 Rover launch this summer or the Artemis 2 Moon mission test that is coming soon. I’m going to miss knowing about it firsthand,” said Wynn.
Wynn is originally from the Washington, DC, area and plans to remain here in her retirement years. We wish her safe travels as she embarks on this new adventure in her life!
