The OCIO CTO facilitates new technology adoption amongst USDA technology and service providers and provides the latest developments of key technology industries to USDA leadership, managers, federal partners, and end-users to foster and enhance the USDA mission to the American people.
As a “Futurist”, the CTO ensures integration of technology with service delivery, developing solutions to integration/interoperability issues, managing systems that meet current and future business requirements, and apply and extend, enhance, or optimize existing service.
The CTO is dedicated to organizing and encouraging enterprise-wide approaches to new technology adoption. The CTO guides Agency components toward maximizing adoption, sharing and reuse of modernized digital technologies, minimizing bespoke approaches that are inefficient and unnecessarily complex over time, and fostering the development of innovative technology solutions to challenges within USDA missions and businesses.
The CTO creates and implements a vision for the Agency’s information management framework, technology systems engineering, and the technical management of IT.
Donald Bitner serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In this role, Mr. Bitner is responsible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) technological needs as well as USDA's approach to development and adoption. He also envisions and sets strategy for how technology will be used at USDA as well as how to further implement cost effective new technologies across the Department.
Please contact the CTO via email: askthecto@usda.gov
Visit the Innovation Hub site: intranet.usda.gov/ocio-innovation-hub
