W. Hord Tipton

Interior
W. Hord Tipton
Chief Information Officer

He might be a chief information officer in charge of coordinating the Interior Department's 77,000 computers, but there's one thing W. Hord Tipton wants to make clear: "I'm no technical geek. We've got CTOs for that," he says, referring to the chief technology officers who also deal with information systems.

Like it or not, Tipton is a tech guy, but his impact at Interior has been more the result of his effective managerial style and eye for efficiency than his knowledge of computers. When Tipton arrived in June 2002 as acting CIO, each of the department's 2,500 offices across the country operated its own IT system. There was no uniformity and many were using outdated software. Tipton assessed the existing IT operation, then assigned specific models of computers and software based on needs.

The changes were met with resistance at first from staffers accustomed to their own computers, but across what he calls "The Department of Everything Else," Tipton says people quickly learned to appreciate the newfound efficiency.

The streamlined IT architecture wasn't only more efficient, it was cheaper. By providing staff with the same models of hardware and software, the department was able to contract with computer companies at a discounted price-pleasing finance officials. "The real selling point is we can say, 'Hey, guys, we saved you $100 million last year,' " Tipton says of the overhaul.

He faced a similar problem when he was CIO at the Bureau of Land Management in the late 1990s. Each of the bureau's 13 state offices had their own IT departments, and so Tipton went about building a unified architecture among them. Tipton's work has brought Interior's IT division a top ranking from the Office of Management and Budget.