HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that Charles Havekost will become the department's chief information officer (CIO). Havekost will also hold the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Resources Management.

"Charlie's experience from his years in the federal government and in the private sector make him an ideal candidate for bringing to HHS the best both worlds have to offer," Secretary Thompson said. "His previous work here at the Department, in particular on Grants.gov, demonstrates his deep understanding of the importance of information technology and how it canbetter serve our citizens."

As CIO, Havekost will provide leadership and direction for HHS investments in e-government projects and IT infrastructure services. Most recently, Havekost has been the program manager for "Grants.gov," one of the 25 federal E-Gov initiatives outlined in the President's Management Agenda. Havekost also has been serving as the acting director for grants management and policy at HHS.