James Gfrerer
CIO, Department of Veterans Affairs
James Gfrerer joined the Department of Veterans Affairs as CIO in 2018 after more than 20 years as a Marine Corps officer and a stint more recently as an executive director in Ernst & Young, LLP’s cybersecurity practice. From that variety of experience, Gfrerer said he’s learned that “leadership is about accomplishing the mission through people.” And to do that, you have to “take care of your people.” On top of that, it’s important to take a step back and coach sometimes, he said. “I’m not able to be successful unless the Office of Information and Technology is successful in its mission and supporting it in the VA.”
