Mission possible

Agility and the public sector aren’t words that typically appear alongside each other, but Darren Ash knows from experience that it is possible to implement change quickly in government, particularly when it comes to technology.

“It can be done,” the CIO of the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) tells The CEO Magazine.

As proof, he points to an example from his previous role at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he served as CIO of the USDA Farm Service Agency from 2016 to 2022.

“At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress signed the CARES Act that enabled us to provide direct financial aid and assistance to the farming economy. We rolled out some new systems in a matter of weeks and ultimately distributed billions of dollars to keep farms afloat,” he says.

Agility may certainly be possible, but as a CIO, Ash says it’s his responsibility to create a culture that nurtures innovation.

“There are ways to move efficiently and do it right, but you have to create that mindset, create that culture and embrace the need to be innovative. We need to advance this because, if we just default to compliance, it’s always going to take us a long time,” he explains.

But also key to agility is relationships.

“When we have situations where we need to move fast, really what I look for and enjoy is having strong partnerships where I can say what we need and why we need it – and ask how they can help us,” he says.

In collaboration with

Gunnison Consulting Group

Transform operations with a unified platform to streamline, automate and secure systems. Transform operations with a unified platform to streamline, automate and secure systems.

Such collaboration has driven another key career milestone, this time in Ash’s new role, which he started in 2022.

“I’m very proud of the collaborative work that went into the development of our new 2024–2029 Information Management and Technology Strategic Plan,” he explains.

“We did a full-blown redo and rewrite in a collaborative way, and we published it back in January. Different parts of the department weren’t just involved, but they helped to lead aspects of that work.

“It was a neat thing to be able to do and get all of us to sign and be presented as a shared vision and a shared plan.”

That plan is a blueprint for the DOI to use data to make decisions that improve resource management, conservation efforts and public services to encourage inclusivity and unique perspectives in its IT decision-making and boost the efficiency and accessibility of customer experiences.

The federal family

Ash has spent his career in the “federal family”, including the United States Department of the Treasury, United States Department of Transportation and United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. What he appreciates the most, he explains, is the inter-departmental teamwork.

“While our missions are different, we’re all after the same thing, which is enabling our mission and improving how we deliver them,” he says.

In this digital age, the position of CIO is akin to a chief enabler.

“Much of what we do depends on technology and our ability to do it right and be effective, whether you’re at the NARA [The National Archives and Records Administration] or State Department of Transportation,” he says.

“What I really appreciate, especially at this level, is the level of discussion and conversation that goes on among the community to share ideas, thoughts and best practices”.

It all feeds into his mandate at the DOI, the federal executive department responsible for managing the natural resources, cultural heritage and public lands of the nation.

“From my vantage point, we have a very diverse mission and set of responsibilities that we’re expected to support and fulfill, which means every day is different, and we’re working in areas that are of great importance to the nation,” he says.

The main responsibilities are around efficiency and effectiveness, particularly around records management and cybersecurity.

“It’s about truly enhancing that digital experience from our customer perspective so that it’s easier for them to interact with us across the scope of the organization,” he says.

Power of the community

At the DOI, Ash found a department aligned with his view on partnerships, not only with other agencies but also with not-for-profit and for-profit partners.

“Public–private partnerships are not just incredibly important to the department; they are ingrained in us being able to further the mission the right way,” he says.

Alongside the strategic partnerships that align with its key responsibilities – including the support of tribally led conservation, education and economic development – there are the IT-specific relationships with private partners, like Gunnison Consulting Group, which contribute to everything from software development to help desks to security.

“It is a wide-ranging and absolutely necessary part of the way we operate and no different from any other department or agency. We benefit from the skills, the experiences and the ideas that they bring into different programs,” he says.

It all feeds into what Ash describes as the “power of the community”.

“We have an amazing group within the DOI, within my organization and the community of IT leadership across the department,” he says.

For organizations like the DOI, that collective leadership allows for great things to happen.

“I’m excited about the future, by how we can work together to drive change and to drive improvements,” he says.

“I’ve seen that play out in the last year-and-a-half. For me, it’s not just great to see, but it also demonstrates really what we can accomplish when we come together.”

In collaboration with

Gunnison Consulting Group

Transform operations with a unified platform to streamline, automate and secure systems. Transform operations with a unified platform to streamline, automate and secure systems. Read More