CIO Sonny Hashmi, 18F director leaving GSA

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect a note from Acting Administrator Denise Turner Roth to GSA employees.

Chief Information Officer Sonny Hashmi is leaving the General Services Administration for a position in the private sector.

Hashmi, who took over as GSA’s acting CIO in January 2014 and became official CIO later that May, confirmed with FedScoop that he is leaving government. He stepped into the role after Casey Coleman, who served as GSA CIO since 2007, was named client executive vice president at AT&T Government Solutions. Before moving to the top spot, Hashmi had served as deputy CIO of GSA since 2011.

During his tenure, Hashmi was responsible for promoting an open-source-first, cloud-heavy and more mobile GSA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyKav9z9_FA

The CIO’s departure comes on the heels of Dan Tangherlini stepping away from his position as administrator to join Artemis Real Estate Partners LLC as chief operating officer. Prior to leaving, Tangherlini spoke highly of Hashmi as an agent of innovation for GSA and beyond, describing his role in “sharing the laboratory of innovation that GSA has turned itself into, in terms of technology and in terms of space, with his partners in other agencies.”

Acting Administrator Denise Turner Roth announced in an email obtained by FedScoop that Deputy CIO David Shive will assume the acting CIO position in Hashmi’s absence. “GSA has had a history of strong technology leadership in this position and I look forward to working with him to continue to build on our legacy of IT excellence,” Turner Roth wrote. She did not mention when Shive will take over for Hashmi.

Hashmi was a 2014 winner of the FedScoop 50 Golden Gov award and a 2013 winner for the Federal Leadership award.

18F moves

Turner Roth also wrote to GSA employees that 18F Executive Director Greg Godbout will pursue a new role in government beginning in April.

Relating 18F to a startup, she wrote, “Like many startup organizations, there comes a time when the leadership who played key roles in the beginning will leave to create new ventures.”

Aaron Snow, 18F deputy executive director, will take over as acting executive director when Gobout departs.