James Gfrerer

CIO, Department of Veterans Affairs

Gfrerer is leading one of the largest IT transformations in all of government. Since his Senate confirmation in January 2019, he’s become the point person for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ electronic health record modernization and the delivery of the IT systems behind the rollout of the MISSION Act. Gfrerer says that when it comes to IT, “it all starts with a capable and competent workforce in an era of extreme competition for human capital.” Mentoring and coaching are “vital components for executive and organizational success,” he said. “The best bosses develop not better followers, but more leaders.”