CUMMISKEY APPPOINTED DHS DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY

Washington DC---Chris Cummiskey has been named Deputy Under Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Cummiskey, who previously served as the department’s Chief of Staff for Management, oversees enterprise lines of business in the following areas: acquisition/procurement, finance/budget, technology/innovation, security, facilities and human capital.

In addition to these responsibilities, Cummiskey also serves as an advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security in a number of key areas including: veteran affairs, open government, sustainability, environment and the economy, the DHS St. Elizabeth’s Headquarters Consolidation Project and GAO relations.

Cummiskey to Serve as Lead Executive for DHS Effort

Washington, DC---The White House has launched a major initiative to improve transparency throughout the Federal Government. The project rests on four main pillars: transparency, participation, collaboration and innovation. Through the OMB Directive on Open Government, each department is asked to name a Senior Accountable Official (SAO) to oversee efforts and serve on a White House working group to coordinate inter-agency activity. Chris Cummiskey, Chief of Staff for Management at the Department of Homeland Security was recently designated as DHS’s lead executive for the Open Government initiative.

Related links and information:

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44486&printerfriendlyvers=1

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222601169

http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/open-government.shtm

http://www.whitehouse.gov

Evolving the Open Government Dashboard with You

Posted by Aneesh Chopra, Federal Chief Technology Officer on White House Web Site

Countless entrepreneurs have taught us that the key to success is to execute quickly, seek feedback from the market, and iterate.  We have taken this lesson to heart and think it especially apt in our work to increase transparency, participation, and collaboration in government.  Therefore it is with great pleasure that – after just 60 days - U.S. CIO Vivek Kundra and I unveil what we call Version 1.0 of the Open Government Dashboard and look forward to building it together with all of you.  By way of this blog post, we hope to tell you a little bit about what we’ve done so far and what to expect in the weeks ahead.

The next big step will be to evaluate the agencies' Open Government Plans, due April 7th.  Whereas the indicators have been largely binary thus far (e.g. Do you have an Open Government Webpage?), the Plans present a special opportunity for the Dashboard to evolve over time and empower the public while spurring a race to the top amongst agencies. We share your feedback that the agency plans are the most consequential deliverable required by the Directive, as they promise to hardwire greater transparency, participation, and collaboration into the culture of every agency. As such, the Open Government Working Group is preparing a set of "stretch criteria" to help evaluate the plans and celebrate those agencies that exceed the minimal requirements of the Directive to reflect the President's vision of openness and accountability as articulated in the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. We are eager to seek your input in this process, so keep an eye out for opportunities to weigh in over the next two weeks.
Aneesh Chopra is U.S. Chief Technology Officer

Based on a newly signed Executive Order by President Barack Obama, Chris Cummiskey, Chief of Staff for Management at DHS, has been appointed by Secretary Napolitano to lead the department’s efforts on Federal sustainability.

The Executive Order calls on federal departments to develop plans to improve sustainability, while reducing practices that harm the environment.

Posted by Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality on The White House Web Site.

President Barack Obama participates in the CEQ Executive Order signing in the Oval Office, Oct. 5, 2009.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This morning, I was proud to gather with a group of cabinet secretaries and other senior officials as President Obama signed a new Executive Order on Federal Sustainability. The Executive Order challenges agencies to lead by example in energy and environmental performance and gives them 90 days to set a 2020 greenhouse reduction goal. It also sets targets for efficient, sustainable buildings, petroleum use reduction in fleets, water efficiency, waste reduction, purchasing green technologies and product, and supporting sustainable communities.

By fulfilling this Executive Order, the Federal government will demonstrate that economic performance and a healthy environment go hand-in-hand. And by putting Federal purchasing power to work – more than $500 billion per year in goods and services – the government can build on the momentum of the Recovery Act to help turn good entrepreneurial ideas into great American enterprises that create jobs.

I’m sure I speak for everyone who’s been a part of this effort when I say that we’re ready to put these ideas into practice, starting today.