Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)

Welcome to OCIO

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) provides the technological solutions that enable the Department of Education to deliver world-class service to schools, students and their families.

To accomplish its mission, OCIO advises and assists the Secretary and other senior officers in acquiring information technology (IT) and managing information resources. OCIO helps these leaders comply with the best practices in the industry and applicable federal laws and regulations, including the Clinger Cohen Act, the Government Paperwork Reduction Act and the Federal Information Security Management Act. In addition, the agency's Chief Information Officer is charged with establishing a management framework that leads the agency toward more efficient and effective operations, including improved planning and control of IT investments.

About OCIO

The agency's CIO is charged with implementing the operative principles identified in the Act requiring the establishment of a management framework to improve the planning and control of information technology investments and leading change to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of agency operations.

The CIO reports directly to the Secretary of Education and provides leadership and direction to:

• Develop, maintain, and implement a sound and integrated information technology enterprise architecture;
• Provide enterprise-wide IT services that include technical infrastructure support, enhanced infrastructure services, and centrally supported application services;
• Promote the effective and efficient design and operation of major Departmental information resource management processes and recommend, as appropriate, improvements to agency business processes;
• Manage agency information resources to improve the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of Federal programs inclusive of information dissemination initiatives and efforts to reduce information collection burdens;
• Develop information technology and information assurance requirements, completing cost/benefit analysis of proposed solutions, managing projects in accordance with sound systems life cycle management procedures and establishing performance standards and measures to assess success of short and long term solutions;
• Define and manage capital planning and investment management processes to ensure their successful implementation and integration with the Department's budget, acquisition and planning processes;
• Monitor the performance of the agency's information technology and information assurance programs and investments, evaluating them against performance and other applicable measures, and advising the Secretary regarding their continuation, modification or termination;
• Assess information technology, information assurance, and information management competencies defined for agency personnel to ensure that Departmental employees are technologically prepared to achieve the Department's strategic goals;
• Manage the agency's Information Assurance Program, developing agency-wide policy for the protection and control of information;
• Deploy and maintain all enterprise-wide information technology;
• Develop recommendations and implement information technology solutions designed to enhance and enable agency business processes;
• Develop and provide technology standards to ensure business alignment and promote a viable enterprise technology framework;
• Provide administrative and technical support to the agency's Data Integrity Board and monitor the Department's compliance with the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act;
• Manage the agency's participation and implementation of Federal CIO Council Initiatives and coordinate Council activities throughout the Department;
• Coordinate all eGov Initiatives and their status reporting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB);
• Develop and maintain an integrated Departmental accounting and financial management system, including internal controls in accordance with the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 and the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996;
• Establish Departmental travel policy and procedures, administer and monitor the agency’s travel system and program, and conduct training to ensure ED compliance with the Federal Travel Regulations.

Legislation and Guidelines

The following laws and guidelines govern the operation of OCIO and the management and oversight of information technology investments throughout the Department of Education. 

• Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996
• Agency Chief Information Officer
• Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act of 2014 (FITARA)
• E-Government Act
• U.S. Federal Information Policy
• Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA)
• Federal Records Act
• Assistive Technology/Sections 504 and 508
• Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
• Department of Education Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)
• Cybersecurity
  • Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA)
  • Executive Order 13800, Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure
  • Bidder's Security Package: Security Requirements for Contractors Doing Business with the Department of Education
  • Computer Security Act of 1987
  • Department of Education Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
• OMB circulars, memoranda, and other guidance on IT
  • Circular A-11 (PDF), Planning, Budgeting, Acquisition of Capital Assets, Strategic Plans, Performance Plans
  • Circular A-76, (PDF), Performance of Commercial Activities (Outsourcing)
  • Circular A-94, (PDF), Guidelines and Discount Rates for Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs
  • Circular A-130, (PDF), Management of Federal Information Resources
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Executive Order 13231, "Critical Infrastructure Protection in the Information Age," October 16, 2001
  • Executive Order 13228, "Establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council," October 8, 2001
  • Executive Order 13011, "Federal Information Technology," July 17, 1996
• Additional Legislation and Guidelines that OCIO collaborates with other offices to implement and/or comply with.
  • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
  • Government Performance Results Act (GPRA)
  • Information Quality Guidelines
  • Paperwork Reduction Act

Additional Guidance and Resources

• Learn how OCIO complies with the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulations
• Visit our Technical Guidance website to review Login.gov guidance for external users
• Find more information at the Federal Chief Information Officer Council website

OCIO Executive Leadership Team

Thomas N. Flagg, Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Thomas Flagg brings over two decades of business and information technology knowledge composed of both private sector and government experiences. He previously served as the Director of Business Application Services within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) at the United States Department of Labor (DOL). In that role, he led a team of three executives, and approximately 120 federal and 600+ contract staff in building and delivering business applications to the 26 DOL subcomponent mission agencies and the public. Prior to that, he served as the Directorate of Information Technology Operations and Services. 

He actively led his management team in setting strategy, vision and direction to derive DOL’s operational plan, and collaborated with the serviced agencies to manage and execute plan implementation using departmental capabilities. He was instrumental in the recent Enterprise Shared Service Information Technology consolidation activities within DOL helping to integrate over 22 subcomponent agencies under the authority of the CIO.  This effort proved to help improve DOL’s Enterprise Architecture, Governance and Procurement Strategies, and saved DOL significant IT expenses resulting from more efficient use of IT resources.

He was also honored to receive the Service to the Citizen Award for his leadership of IT Operations for the Department of labor during the Covid-19 pandemic ensuring minimal downtime of DOL staff to immediately transition to 100% telework.

Prior to joining the Senior Executive Service, he served as the Director of IT for the Wage and Hour Division, a Supervisory IT Specialist and a technical and management advisor to the Director of IT within the Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP). Prior to working within OWCP, he was within the Employment Training Administrator (ETA) serving as the branch chief and working to expand the program management office for the Agency. 

Before converting to federal service in June 2013, Thomas worked as a small business consultant within ETA and has firsthand experience delivering systems as a web application programmer and project manager for the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, National Emergency Grants (now known as National Dislocation Worker Grants) and a multitude of other ETA systems. His additional work experiences in the private sector were as the Internet Services Manager at Recorded Books (the largest manufacturer of recorded audio), Lead Software Developer and Technology Manager of the InTouch patient medical records pharmacy system at Health Objects (a health services IT subsidiary of OmniCare—the largest institutional pharmacy at that time), the Manager and Technical Lead of the Insurance vertical at ZonaFinanciera.com (a Latin American financial services firm based in Fairfax, VA during the dot com era), GTE (prior to and during the Verizon Merger) and Intel Corporation as technical management contributor and trainee.

Thomas was born and raised in the Washington DC area. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University in 1998, and later received a Master's in Business Administration and also a Master's in Business Management with a focus on Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business in 2009. Thomas also holds numerous technical certifications.

Ray Crawford, Director of Management & Planning

For nearly 30 years, Dr. Ray Crawford, Jr. has been engaged in the growth and success of government agencies. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service and serves as the Director for Management and Planning in OCIO for the US Department of Education (ED). In this role, he is the principal management official responsible for overseeing and directing all areas of formulating, developing, and implementing management, operational, and administrative policy for OCIO. Dr. Crawford serves as an integrator for department-level efforts and drives cross-organizational collaboration. He is also the principal advisor to the CIO and associated leadership team, with an emphasis on strategic planning, administrative budget, and organizational performance. 

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Crawford was ED's Performance Improvement Officer, advising the Deputy Secretary and Secretary of Education on matters related to the Department's strategic plans and the application of the Government Performance Results Act Modernization Act of 2010. He led the development and publication of the Department's FY2022 – FY2026 Strategic Plan, and subsequently implemented performance improvement processes and benchmarking to support decision-making on critical management initiatives. Through these efforts he established a Strategic Plan Progress Review framework for evaluating progress and taking action to effect changes where goals were not being achieved. During his tenure he was also as a key point of contact for the Executive Office of the President and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), serving as a member of the OMB Performance Improvement Council.

Dr. Crawford is a long-standing employee of ED, contributing his most significant time in the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA). He held several executive positions at FSA, including Director for Strategic Planning and Reporting, Employee Engagement Officer, and Director of Facilities, Security and Emergency Management operations. He has also been selected to support the agency in a multitude of ways. He served as a key research analyst for the President’s Federal Commission on School Safety where he developed an appendix of resources to support schools, communities, and research professionals. He was also chosen to be the Co-Chairman of the Secretary of Education’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, serving from 2018 – 2020. He began his federal career at the Federal Emergency Management Agency leading teams in field operations, community engagement, and process improvement and evaluation.

Dr. Crawford’s dedication to furthering organizational goals, supporting the growth and engagement of people, and his long-term commitment to public service has provided him with tremendous opportunities. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University, and both Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Political Science from Howard University. In 2020, Dr. Crawford published his first book entitled, "The Legacy of Mayor Anthony Williams; Economic Development in the Federal City". The book provides an analytical tool for leadership that is appropriate for executives in both the public and private sectors.

Gary Stevens, Director of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS)

Gary joined the Department of Education in 2021, and currently serves as the Director of ETS within OCIO. He ensures the Department’s information technology systems are up and operational on a persistent basis to meet the needs of OCIO and the Department's aligned missions. 

He started his career as an Officer in the United States Air Force in 1993, and has since then served in a number of civilian positions including roles with Arthur Anderson, SAIC, the Missile Defense Agency, and the Department of Veteran Affairs. 

Gary has a Master's of Business Administration from Colorado State University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

Stephanie Taylor, Chief of Staff

Stephanie Taylor joined ED as OCIO's Chief of Staff in 2022. In her role she serves as the strategic advisor to the CIO and OCIO senior leadership team. She leads OCIO's strategic planning initiatives to include the identification, tracking, and reporting of associated organizational performance measures, and alignment with the Department's strategic plan. She also leads the development and implementation of OCIO's overarching IT policy framework development and implementation of its communications strategy.

Stephanie previously served as the Director for IT Program Integration at the Department of Veterans Affairs for three years. In this role she led an office responsible for the creation, integration, and execution of the Technology Enterprise Strategy, and she also led the Continuity and Mission Assurance Office. Stephanie was also responsible for executing Veterans Affairs and Technology-level initiatives that bridged coordination gaps, enhanced innovation, and streamlined technology operations to drive efficiencies and create a positive end-user experience.

Prior to this role, Stephanie was the Division Chief of the Cyber Business Intelligence division where she led and developed programs directly impacting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network security centric services delivered to the Veterans Affairs' Enterprise.

Before joining the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2005, Stephanie spent almost a decade in the private sector providing an array of tech services including solving complicated technical issues for over 5,000 clients, delivering IT products and services and implementing and improving cybersecurity programs, policies, and strategies.  She brings a wealth of public and private sector expertise in information technology, human capital, and financial management.

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Hampton University, and a Master’s degree in Managing Information Systems from Bowie State University.  She is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and a two-time recipient of the Women in Leadership Impact Award. 

Stephanie is very active in her community and enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends. She resides in Waldorf, MD with her husband, Kawan, and their three children -- Kendall, Kayla and Khloe.