Archivist of the United States Appoints Michael Wash as New CIO
Press Release · Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Washington, DC…Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero has announced the appointment of Michael Wash as the National Archives Open Government Executive/Chief Information Officer (CIO).

“In our transformation plan Charter for Change and Charting the Course, I spoke of creating a visionary IT organization - one in which traditional technology planning and policy functions are brought together with the business of social media, open government, and digitization programs to anticipate staff and customer needs,” said Mr. Ferriero. “Such an IT organization is key to our ability to lead the Federal government in adapting archival theory for practice in the digital, web, and social media environments as well as advancing Open Government values of transparency, citizen engagement, and collaboration. Mike Wash exemplifies leadership qualities needed to guide this vision--solid technical skills, a track record of innovation, political savvy, and the ability to translate user needs into practical applications of technology.”

In the reorganization, as the Open Government Executive/Chief Information Officer, Mr. Wash is responsible for leading innovative projects and programs, and developing information systems and tools that will help customers discover National Archives holdings. One of his top priorities is to collaborate with the National Archives Chief Records Officer, the Digital Access Strategist, and Corporate Records Management program to lead an integrated approach to managing electronic information. In addition, he oversees our IT security and applied research initiatives.

"I am thrilled to join the National Archives team and look forward to applying my government and photographic market experience that keenly instilled a value of making data and memories easily and permanently accessible,” said Mr. Wash.

Prior to his appointment, for seven years Mr. Wash was the CIO of the U.S. Government Printing Office, where he provided principal guidance for strategic information system initiatives at the agency. While there he led the team that researched, developed, and launched the agency's Federal Digital System (FDsys), which is a secure digital content management system for millions of Federal documents from every corner of the government, increasing transparency and creating business value. He was also instrumental in leading a collaborative effort with the National Archives Office of the Federal Register that developed and launched Federal Register 2.0 last summer. Partnership for Public Service selected him as the Federal Player of the Week for his work in making tens of millions of Federal documents available in FDsys.

Before joining the Federal government, Mr. Wash worked for 26 years in the private sector with the Eastman Kodak Company, directing the company's digital photo finishing equipment systems division and developing the platform that delivered Kodak Perfect Touch Processing to consumers in North America and Europe.

Mr. Wash has a BSEE degree from Purdue University and holds 18 patents, one of which was awarded the National Inventor of the Year in 1996 by the Intellectual Properties Owners Association. In 2010, he was named a finalist for the Information Technology Executive of the Year at the 8th annual American Business Awards ceremony in New York City.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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