HHS names new acting CIO

Beth Killoran will take over HHS CIO responsibilities in the absence of Frank Baitman. (HHS)

The Department of Health and Human Services named Beth Killoran acting deputy assistant secretary for information technology and chief information officer.

Killoran will take over the CIO responsibilities in the absence of Frank Baitman, the FedScoop 50 Golden Gov winner who stepped down from the role at the end of November, Colleen Barros, HHS’s acting assistant secretary for administration, announced Tuesday in a note to staff obtained by FedScoop.

Currently HHS’ acting deputy CIO and executive director for the Office of IT Strategy, Policy and Governance, Killoran will continue serving in her prior roles as she takes her acting CIO post, the note suggests.

“Despite a heavy workload, Beth Killoran, Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer and Executive Director for the Office of IT Strategy, Policy, and Governance has agreed to serve as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the interim following Frank Baitman’s departure,” Barros wrote in her note. “I am deeply appreciative of Beth’s willingness to help us through this period.”

Prior to joining HHS, Killoran spent 11 years at the Department of Homeland Security in a variety of IT leadership roles “in different parts of the organization including Under Secretary for Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Citizenship and Immigration Service, and Customs and Border Protection,” Barros’ note said.

She will pick up — at least in the interim — where Baitman left off, having achieved measurable success in moving services like email to the cloud, consolidating systems across the enterprise and launching a virtual desktop pilot. She also takes over the role as agencies look to implement strategies that adhere to the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, which calls for centralizing IT budget power under department CIOs. HHS received a D grade in early November from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for its initial plans.