Upon leaving his federal CIO post later this summer, Kundra will become a joint fellow at the Kennedy School and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
“When [Kundra] began at the White House, he brought with him the promise of good ideas and a hard-charging style focused on getting things done, necessary qualities to tackle the difficult issues facing Federal IT – an aging infrastructure with rising operating costs, too many major projects failing to deliver, and increasing vulnerability to outside threats. Two and a half years after joining the administration, Vivek has delivered on that promise”, said OMB director Jack Lew in White House blog post.
“He has cracked down on wasteful IT spending, saved $3 billion in taxpayer dollars; moved the government to the cloud; and strengthened the cybersecurity posture of the nation while making it more open, transparent, and participatory”, he added.
According to a press release statement from Harvard, Kundra will collaborate with the school’s Berkman Center in its research activities in the areas of cloud computing, open data, and open government, while his research at the Shorenstein Center will “focus on the implications of digital media and technology on governance”.
“We are delighted that Vivek Kundra will be joining the Berkman Center community,” said Urs Gasser, executive director of the Berkman Center. “We look forward to working closely with him on cutting edge issues where the complexities of cloud computing intersect with law, institutions, and data.”
The Obama administration expects Kundra to depart in mid-August, while an OMB spokesperson told Infosecurity that there is no decision yet as to ho will replace the outgoing CIO.