Dana Deasy

CIO, Department of Defense

Deasy, the former CIO of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., has been with the Department of Defense just over a year. But he’s already led a massive transformation readying the Pentagon to adopt next-generation technologies like cloud and artificial intelligence. Underneath that transformation, he’s been passionate about promoting the recruitment and retention of talented IT specialists. Deasy told FedScoop his leadership philosophy consists of four principles: “You must show patience throughout your career, you must have perseverance from obstacles, your performance must be better than your peers and most importantly you must have a passion for your job.” Deasy also detailed the importance of mentorship in developing IT talent. “Looking back on my career, I think a lot about what put me on a track to become a leader. I can distinctly remember the mentoring I received early on in my career. … Mentoring future leaders is one of the most important things we can do to help our organizations in the long run.”