Suzanne Hilding was selected to serve as the Chief Information Officer for the Department on April 4, 2008. In this capacity, Ms. Hilding is responsible for managing the Department’s Information Technology (IT) resources.

Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Ms. Hilding worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for over 23 years. She joined NASA in 1985 as an instrumentation engineer on a Life Support System project, and later moved to the Space Shuttle Vehicle Engineering group, serving as the lead Data Processing System (DPS) Engineer for Space Shuttles Atlantis and Endeavor. In 1991, Ms. Hilding was selected for a management position and served in increasingly responsible roles including Division Chief of Guidance, Digital, and Software Systems for Space Shuttle launch processing. Her Division was responsible for test, checkout, and launch preparations of the Guidance, Flight Controls, Digital Processing, Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Avionics, and Remote Manipulator Systems on the Space Shuttle fleet, and ultimately participated in 65 Space Shuttle launches.

Ms. Hilding went on to serve as the Executive Director of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel. Established in 1968, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) has been evaluating NASA's safety performance and advising the Agency on ways to improve that performance across all NASA programs.

As the Chief of Staff to the NASA Deputy Administrator from 2002-2005, Ms. Hilding was the principal advisor to the Deputy on agency policy and management issues. She directed the implementation of key agency executive management decisions. She ensured integration amongst the most senior agency officials on matters impacting strategic planning, agency and program operations, and policies of concern to the Deputy Administrator, Congress, and OMB. Ms. Hilding performed independent analyses on topics ranging from agency operations weaknesses to sensitive personnel issues, providing trusted independent assessment to the Deputy Administrator.

Ms. Hilding completed her NASA tenure by serving as the Assistant Associate Administrator for Space Operations & Exploration Systems Integration. She successfully established interfaces and protocols across the suite of human space flight programs (Space Shuttle Program, Space Station Program, Exploration Systems). She collaboratively initiated the transition planning processes for NASA's Space Shuttle phase-out/next generation human space transportation systems phase-in activities.

Ms. Hilding has a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Nebraska, attended several prestigious leadership and management programs, including the National Security Studies Leadership course in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and OPM Federal Executive Institute's Leadership for a Democratic Society.