New Leadership: Judith Conklin Appointed CIO at the Library of Congress; John Rutledge Appointed Deputy CIO at LC

From LC:

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has appointed Judith Conklin as the chief information officer of the Library of Congress and John Rutledge the deputy chief information officer. The two executives will serve as the Library’s senior information technology experts, ensuring technology operations are aligned with the Library’s strategic plan. Conklin will also serve as the primary adviser to the Librarian of Congress on all technology matters and as a voting member on the Library’s Executive Committee.“

Judith and John have been a crucial part of our success in transforming the Library’s technical foundation over the last few years, and I am happy that they will bring that knowledge and expertise to these roles,” said Hayden. “With over 70 years of technology experience between them, they will provide the steady leadership necessary to continue to evolve our information technology and drive our digital transformation forward.”

Conklin joined the Library in 1997, and has served as deputy chief information officer since 2015. With Bernard A. Barton, Jr., the former chief information officer, Conklin led the centralization of Library technology activities under the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO); fostered the creation of an agency-wide digital strategy; and marshalled efforts to optimize and modernize the Library’s IT infrastructure and critical IT business systems. Under their direction, the Library successfully completed over 350 recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office and the Library’s Office of the Inspector General to improve Library technology management, as well as IT delivery and security.

“Bud Barton deserves high praise for his leadership. A lot of work has gone into redesigning and rebuilding the Library’s technology infrastructure and support mechanism over the last six years. That work isn’t always flashy, but it’s the foundation that will let us continue to grow and evolve for decades to come,” Conklin said. “The Library of Congress is better equipped today than ever before to adapt to the rapidly changing IT landscape and provide users with more enduring access to our treasures. John and I are proud to take on the challenges and opportunities ahead of us to continue to provide the best possible technology experiences to our colleagues, Congress and the American people.”

Leveraging more than 24 years of experience at the Library and a background in network engineering, IT security and telecommunications, Conklin brings an in-depth understanding of the agency and its technical needs to the role. A cybersecurity expert, Conklin has been recognized by Federal Computer Week as one of the nation’s top federal IT professionals for her work strengthening the Library’s IT security posture. As the first agency-wide authorizing official, Conklin serves as the final decision-maker on security for all Library IT systems. She began her career in the U.S. Army, retiring as a major, and has served as a technical consultant specializing in network engineering, information security and telecommunications with AT&T, Booz Allen & Hamilton and Raytheon. Conklin holds a Master of Science in computer information systems from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

A strategic leader with a broad skillset in enterprise IT operations, systems delivery, IT service management and IT project management, Rutledge has been a driving force for IT modernization and centralization at the Library. Since 2018, he has served as the first director of IT partner engagement for the Library, where he helped establish OCIO as a trusted, business-driven customer-service organization. Rutledge joined the Library in 2015 and served as the deputy chief information officer and chief information officer for the Congressional Research Service. Before joining the Library, he served as vice president for national security operations at Criterion Systems and led technology teams for Booz Allen Hamilton, NetStar Systems, Oracle, Texas Instruments, SPT Enterprises and BDM. Over his career, his clients have included the CIA, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Cyber Command and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. He is a graduate of George Mason University and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute.

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