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About Us

Welcome Message

“I believe deeply that we as Federal CDOs have an opportunity to engage in work that is meaningful and transformative through the foundational steps outlined in the Federal Data Strategy. As a Chief Data Officer, I have seen first-hand the impact that delivering data and analytics solutions to our leaders and field employees has on how we serve the public, and we know the unique power government data has to solve major public challenges. The Federal CDO Council is committed to creating a supportive environment for CDOs to share information on the best practices that foster data-driven organizations, while we identify and solve cross-cutting Federal-wide data challenges through collaboration and shared leadership.”

-Ted Kaouk, Chair

Authority

The CDO Council was established by statute in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-435) 44 USC § 3520A. The Council is set to sunset in January 2025, 2 years after GAO completes an evaluation of the council, which is due to Congress by January 2023.

Vision

The Council’s vision is to improve government mission achievement and increase the benefits to the Nation through improvement in the management, use, protection, dissemination, and generation of data in government decision-making and operations.

Purpose

The CDO Council shall meet regularly to establish government-wide best practices for the management, use, protection, dissemination, and generation of data; promote and encourage data sharing agreements between agencies; identify ways in which agencies can improve upon the production of evidence for use in policymaking; consult with the public and engage with private users of Government data and other stakeholders on how to improve access to data assets of the Federal Government; and identify and evaluate new technology solutions for improving the collection and use of data. The CDO Council shares responsibilities with other interagency councils that conduct and impact data-related activities, including those focused on information technology, statistics, information security, evaluation, privacy, freedom of information, and other government objectives. The CDO Council coordinates its activities with these councils and bodies in order to assure that these activities are complementary and carried out efficiently and effectively

Goals

2022-2023 CDO Council Goals

  • Goal 1: Strengthen and empower the Federal workforce in the use of data
    • Objective: Develop resources that help agencies empower their workforce
    • Objective: Foster collective learning and information sharing around the use of data
  • Goal 2: Enable impactful outcomes from simple, seamless, and secure customer experiences
    • Objective: Supporting effective data use and sharing across agencies
    • Objective: Supporting secure and safe data access
    • Objective: Foster collaboration across agencies
  • Goal 3: Support the application of data ethics and equity
    • Objective: Steward the Federal Data Ethics framework
    • Objective: Promote the use of data equity resources
  • Goal 4: Support the strategic use of data for intelligent government operations
    • Objective: Engage in Federal data policy issues
    • Objective: Understanding the structural role of CDOs
    • Objective: Foster cross-council collaboration in addressing the strategic use of data
    • Objective: Support engagement from the public and stakeholders with Federal data issues
    • Objective: Effectively manage CDOC operations

Charter

In May 2020, the CDO Council voted to establish a charter.

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