USDA CXO Dashboards Declared "Innovation of the Year"

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 02 November 2018 02 November 2018

CIO Gary Washington Receives Federal Leadership Award

(Washington, D.C., November 2, 2018) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Chief Executive Officer (CXO) Dashboard Project has been recognized by FedScoop Magazine as the Federal Government’s Innovation of the Year for creating the first comprehensive suite of administrative data dashboards. In addition, USDA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) Gary Washington has been recognized for USDA's Information Technology (IT) modernization strategy with the Federal Leadership Award.

Each year Fed Scoop Magazine recognizes outstanding achievements across the federal government. Since being sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue has made it USDA’s goal to become the most effective, most efficient, and most customer-focused department in the entire federal government.

“No doubt, data-driven decisions lead to more effective outcomes for the USDA, our customers, and the American public as a whole. I am proud of our entire office of the CIO for their focus on IT modernizations and for demonstrating dynamic, innovative organizational leadership,” said Secretary Perdue. “These FedScoop Awards give the USDA family additional validation that we are well on the way to becoming the best managed agency in the entire Federal government.”

Background:

Recently, USDA’s Chief Data Officer, Ted Kaouk interviewed with Government Matters about the CXO Dashboard Project. You may click here to watch the interview.

Over the course of FY18, USDA created over 120 dashboard views that provide USDA leadership with information for decision making on USDA’S seven main administrative functions: IT, human resources (HR), finance, property and fleet, contracting and procurement, homeland security and operations.  What’s most innovative about the dashboards is their ability to bring together a multitude of data sources into a single USDA analytics platform.  With it, leaders are reducing the time and effort it takes to unlock key insights and make better decisions.  The information they need is living in one place and providing them with a single, trusted version of the truth.

USDA is already reaping the benefits of easily accessible data made possible by the CXO dashboards.  Manual processes that increase the probability of error and risk are being reduced or eliminated.  Historical data and current trends are being combined to enable leaders to identity areas of risk and opportunity. The dashboard project is also serving as a catalyst for creating a more comprehensive approach to data management across the Department, which is now focused on improving data integrity and availability for all USDA stakeholders.

USDA’s CIO Gary Washington has years of experience at USDA, having previously served as CIO for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. His impressive resume includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Food and Drug Administration, and private industry. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Gary is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Strayer University in Washington, D.C.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.