NASCIO Responds to Forman's Move

LEXINGTON, KY. -- The announcement of Mark Forman's departure at the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), calls again for continued commitment to leadership for information management and technology policy at the federal level. As associate director for Information Technology and E-Government and director of the Federal CIO Council, Forman served as the de facto federal CIO. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) worked closely with Forman during his tenure at OMB and has long called for more support to a role which provides over-arching technology policy oversight and management for the federal enterprise.

"Mark's oversight of digital government and architecture at the federal level has yielded benefits to federal agencies as well as to the states that interface with it, but there is much work to be done," said Gerry Wethington, Missouri State CIO and NASCIO president. "He has been a tireless champion for improving government efficiency and citizen services through information technology and sound IT policy. Moreover, he has been a strong advocate of reaching out to the states in this effort, knowing that much of the national implementation of e-government is done at the state level. The benefits of that work cannot be truly realized without proper authority and budget however."

Forman has been a frequent participant at NASCIO forums and NASCIO is a partner in several of OMB's E-Government Initiatives. "The successes Mark has influenced reinforces the need for a Federal CIO or similarly-charged federal IT official," continued Wethington. "We hope that President Bush will continue and strengthen his commitment to e-government. We pledge to continue to work closely with Mark's successor to advance the national e-government agenda."

NASCIO represents the state chief information officers from the 50 states, six U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Members include cabinet and senior-level state officials responsible for information management and technology policy. Other IT officials participate as associate members and private sector representatives may become corporate members.