Army gets new Chief Information Officer

By Office of the Chief Information OfficerNovember 24, 2020

Dr. Raj Iyer. Chief Information Officer, poses for his  official portrait in the Army portrait stuidio in Arlington, Virginia, Jan 22,2021. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. XaViera Masline)
Dr. Raj Iyer. Chief Information Officer, poses for his official portrait in the Army portrait stuidio in Arlington, Virginia, Jan 22,2021. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. XaViera Masline) (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Army’s Civilian Senior Leader Management Office announced Friday, Nov. 13, that Raj Iyer will take over as the new Chief Information Officer for IT reform.

In his new role as CIO, Iyer will serve as principal advisor to the secretary of the Army, setting the strategic direction and objectives for information technology and information management. Iyer will direct the execution of policies and programs for IT and information management areas, including integrated IT architecture, enterprise data management, cybersecurity, and cloud management.

Iyer is stepping into his new position following the realignment of the Army CIO and G-6 into two separate offices in August.

He takes over the role from Greg Garcia, who served as the Army’s acting Chief Information Officer while serving as the Deputy CIO and previous Army Chief Data Officer. In October, the Army announced David M. Markowitz as the new Chief Data Officer and Analytics Officer. Garcia continues to serve as the deputy chief information officer.

“Dr. Iyer’s federal executive experience shows that he is passionate about public service and serving the warfighter and the taxpayer, and is absolutely committed to our people first vision as his #1 priority.” Garcia said. “As a visionary leader, he’s demonstrated a rare talent for effectively building consensus that will serve him well in his new position as he oversees the capital planning and execution of an over $10 billion portfolio.”

Previously, Iyer was employed at Deloitte Consulting LLP, where he served as a senior manager from 2015 to 2018, then as managing director from 2018 to 2020. During his time at Deloitte, he served as Lead Engagement Partner for the Army Human Resources Command at Ft. Knox, Technology Leader for the Huntsville market, and Market Leader for the Army Materiel Command.

Over the course of his career, Iyer has supported a range of defense and commercial clients on a number of complex enterprise transformation challenges including IT strategy, IT innovation and IT modernization.

He has established new organizations, including the first office of the chief technology officer in the Army Materiel Command, cofounded a successful technology startup, and led recovery programs such as Healthcare.gov. He also holds a patent and has published dozens of peer reviewed papers.

Iyer holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington along with multiple master’s degrees, including a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington.