President Obama promises to be the most technologically attuned president ever.  His appointment today of Vivek Kundra as the new Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) further underscores that impression. Having articulated a sophisticated technology-based agenda, the President will need someone who can help translate this vision into reality. Kundra’s experience as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the District of Columbia, where he built a strong reputation as an IT innovator and visionary, makes him very well suited for the open-government objectives contained in President Obama’s technology platform. 

Earlier this week, the ODF Alliance sent an open letter to the Obama Administration calling on the Administration to follow through with the previously stated goal to make government data available in universally accessible formats and we provided specific recommendations to achieve that end. The appointment today of Vivek Kundra is a big step forward for open government and universally accessible formats. The ODF Alliance applauds President Obama on this selection.