Beth Noveck, federal deputy chief technology officer for open government, is bidding farewell to the White House, according to numerous reports, to return working for New York Law School as a professor, the director of the Institute of Information Law and Policy, and the director of the Democracy Design Workshop.
President Obama named Noveck to the new open government position in 2009.
Noveck’s achievements included leading the administration’s open government initiative since its inception. The initiative was designed as an effort to push transparency and collaboration in government.
“Beth has been a tireless advocate for opening the federal government to greater collaboration and public participation,” said Phil Larson, a spokesman for the Office of Science and Technology Policy in a statement to Federal News Radio. “She has helped to develop significant advancements in the administration’s efforts to utilize technology to break down the barriers between the American public and their government. We are sorry to see her go, and wish her all the best in her next endeavors.”
Noveck came to the federal government with strong credentials. In 2007, she helped the U.S. Patent Office launch its Peer-to-Patent program, which uses the Web to engage citizen-experts to help review patent applications. Her experience with that effort led Noveck to write the 2009 release Wiki Government, an influential book on democracy in the digital age.
It’s not known who will replace Noveck in the Obama administration.
She’s following Andrew McLaughlin, U.S. deputy chief technology officer, out the door. McLaughlin said goodbye on Dec. 23, 2010, after a year and a half of service to pursue entrepreneurial efforts.
