Sivak Named D.C.'s Chief Technology Officer
Bryan Sivak, a 34-year-old who has spent the past four years expanding a technology company in London, was named the District's new chief technology officer by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) Tuesday.
Sivak, who must be confirmed by the D.C. Council, said in an interview that he heard about the opening late last year. Through a friend, he met former chief technology officer Vivek Kundra, who left his post earlier this year to take a job as chief information officer in the Obama administration.
But city administrator Neil O. Albert said Kundra did not recommend Sivak. Instead, he was among a stack of resumes that Albert culled in an international search. Sivak has the "entrepreneurial spirit we were looking for," Albert said.
Sivak inherits an agency that was rocked earlier in the year when a manager and others were charged in a scheme that involved paying ghost employees and steering contracts. In March, Yusuf Acar was charged with wire fraud and conspiring to commit bribery and to launder money.
"One of the things I would like to understand is what has been done to prevent something like this from happening again," Sivak said at a news conference where Fenty made the announcement about his appointment.
Chris Willey, who served as interim chief technology officer, has instituted several changes in the agency, including requiring all employees to submit conflict-of-interest disclosure forms, which had been mandatory only for managers.
Sivak, who once worked as a lead software engineer for IBM Corp., said he hopes to keep Willey in the agency.
-- Nikita Stewart
By Anne Bartlett |
October 13, 2009; 12:24 PM ET
| Category:
Mayor Fenty
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Nikita Stewart
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Posted by: highlife | October 13, 2009 6:23 PM
Ok Where is he from? Is he a US citizen? Are his technology skills higher than playing Wii? We don't need another Hartsock fiasco.
Posted by: candycane1 | October 14, 2009 5:45 PM
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So are there no qualified DC residents for this position. Haven't we learned from these foreign nationals that they do not let DC residents in to play. I guess not, the reason to continue down that road. That's OK Fenty, your days in office are numbered, and I'm willing to work for any campaign going against you NUPE!