President Obama introduced our new federal CTO this weekend, Aneesh Chopra.  According to the announcement, Mr. Chopra is charged with developing “national strategies for using advanced technologies to transform our economy and our society, such as fostering private sector innovation, reducing administrative costs and medical errors using health IT, and using technology to change the way teachers teach and students learn.”  It was also mentioned that he will be tasked with insuring that we are properly leveraging technology to insure national security as well.

Mr. Chopra complements federal CIO Vivek Kundra and federal chief innovation officer Jeffrey Zients to round out the Administration's technology team.

The IT industry is enthusiastically welcoming Mr. Chopra, including CompTIA, the global IT trade assocation.  CompTIA has pledged to work closely with the nation's first chief technology officer. "The technology industry is the most important engine of growth in the U.S. economy," said Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA president and CEO. "It will play the central role in building a more efficient health care infrastructure and alternative energy research and deployment, creating millions of jobs over the next decade."

These are exciting times for our nation and the IT industry.  In today's increasingly technological world, it is nice to see our leaders acknowledging the critical role that IT can play in improving our lives.