Christopher L. Smith,
Deputy Chief Information Officer and Associate Chief Information Officer for Integration and Operations

On July 2, 2008, Chris Smith was appointed Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). He is responsible for providing overall guidance for USDA’s information technology (IT) efforts, investments, policies, and planning. He is also responsible for providing oversight to USDA agencies to ensure that agency IT investments are linked to agency accomplishments as mandated by the Clinger-Cohen Act.

Smith joined OCIO in January 2008 and began serving in the Associate Chief Information Officer for Integration and Operations (ACIO/I&O) position to coordinate the efforts of OCIO’s following operations: National Information Technology Center, Telecommunications Services and Operations, and Information Technology Services.

In 2007, Smith joined USDA as Chief Information Officer for Rural Development where he provided leadership and executive strategic direction for the Rural Development IT portfolio that supported more than $96 billion in active loans and grants.

Prior to joining Rural Development, Smith served as the Chief Information Officer to the Chief Financial Officer of the United States General Services Administration. In that position, he led shared services IT operations. He managed one of four Financial Management Lines of Business Centers of Excellence and one of four ePayroll operations within the Federal Government. Additionally, Smith is a Reserve Air Force Communications Officer who has led multiple tactical communications missions around the globe.

Chris Smith was born and reared in Northern Virginia where he currently resides with his wife and two children. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Studies and his Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of South Florida. Smith also holds a Master of Science Degree in Management Information Systems from George Washington University.

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/smith.html