Dive Brief:
- Todd Park, who became the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in 2012, has announced he will be leaving the position by the end of the year, according to Fortune. Park, formerly the CTO for the Department of Health and Human Services, is best known in the industry for co-founding healthcare IT companies Athenahealth and Castlight.
- As CTO for HHS, Park developed Healthcare.gov; As U.S. CTO, he later helped with the repair and error-fraught relaunch of the site. It is unknown who will take over the position, but candidates have been interviewed from Google, LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Park is expected to continue work with the Obama administration from Silicon Valley. He will be helping recruit tech staff into government positions. According to Fortune, sources say the move is prompted by a family desire to return to the West Coast.
Dive Insight:
With his close ties to Silicon Valley and his insight into the administration, Park should have a good idea of how to get more tech-savvy individuals into the White House. After the highly problematic launch of Healthcare.gov, it is clear that the administration can benefit from recruiting talent from outside of the beltway.