U.S. Department of Labor Creates Chief Data Officer Position And Establishes Data Board

WASHINGTON, DC - Earlier this year, President Trump signed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 into law, which included the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (OPEN Government Data Act). The OPEN Government Data Act, among other things, directs the head of each agency to "designate a nonpolitical appointee employee in the agency as the Chief Data Officer of the agency." Today, the U.S. Department of Labor created a Chief Data Officer (CDO) position and established its Data Board. The Data Board will place the Department of Labor among the leaders of data governance within the federal government.

The creation of a dedicated CDO position is necessary to help ensure robust oversight and leadership of the Department's data governance framework. Organizationally, this position is in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Policy (OASP) and reports to OASP's Assistant Secretary.

"The CDO will serve as chair of the Data Board as we transform our data infrastructure and capacity to achieve our goal of evidence-based policymaking," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. "We are pleased to put all this in motion so soon after President Trump signed this important piece of legislation into law."

The Data Board will serve as the Department's data enterprise oversight body for the development of coordinated Department-wide positions on data strategy, data management, standards management, and execution in conformance with any guidance on data governance issued by Congress or the Office of Management and Budget.

The Data Board will be charged with providing recommendations to senior DOL officials on the creation, implementation, and oversight of a data governance model that establishes authority, management, and decision-making parameters related to the data created, collected, managed, or otherwise controlled by DOL. It will also coordinate data-sharing efforts across the DOL and federal partners; additionally, it will collect and disseminate best practices and lessons learned regarding data management and community standards.