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Luis Lopez Named U.S. Department of Education’s Next CIO

Lopez is set to take over for Jason Gray on Dec. 18. The incoming chief information officer has been with the department since 2017, most recently serving as director of the Enterprise Technology Services division.

The seal of the Department of Education.
The U.S. Department of Education has tapped one of its own to step into the role of chief information officer later this month.

Luis Lopez, a member of the department for the past half-decade, will take over for outgoing CIO Jason Gray on Dec. 18, the department said last week in a news release.

Lopez, who has more than 17 years of experience in IT, joined the Department of Education in 2017 as chief of operational services in the Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) Division within the CIO’s office. In 2019 he became director of ETS, where he managed and provided strategies, tactics and overall organizational direction, the release said. More specifically, he led the department’s changeover from a 12-year legacy IT service delivery model to its current one supporting remote and hybrid work, requiring new infrastructure, end-user computing and software upgrades.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said in a public statement that Lopez was integral to shifting the department’s workforce to remote and hybrid settings during the pandemic, and continuing to adjust with the times will be essential going forward.

“Making sure we continue to manage and adapt our information technology effectively is absolutely vital to our work of serving our nation’s schools, students and families, and I’m looking forward to working together with Luis as he takes on this crucial role,” Marten said.

Lopez worked closely with the CIO in his role as ETS director, namely as a principal adviser in all matters pertaining to IT engineering and operations, the release said. Before joining the Department of Education, Lopez held leadership roles at the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Among his achievements were leading sizable IT transitions and consolidation efforts, and his project at the DHA consolidated the Army, Navy, Air Force and Tricare Management Activity into a single enterprise for the Military Health System’s 220,000 personnel.

“(Lopez) brings deep experience and proven skill in delivering information technology services in large and complex government organizations — and leading IT transformations that ensure those organizations continue to adapt effectively for the people they serve,” Marten said.