Mark Gray

About Mark Gray

I\'m a Senior Executive Service (SES) career federal CIO with 25+ years leading enterprise-scale digital transformation across civilian and defense agencies. Currently triple-hatted as CIO, Chief AI Officer, and Chief Data Officer at the Federal Trade Commission, I oversee a $585M IT portfolio, direct a blended workforce of civil servants and contractors, and serve on the OMB Technology Modernization Fund Board.My career spans the FTC, OSD, Defense Health Agency, and U.S. Army, where I governed portfolios up to $36B, holding direct budget authority over $2B+ IT programs. I\'ve built Enterprise Architecture frameworks, AI governance structures, and Zero Trust cybersecurity programs from the ground up. I\'ve delivered multi-year IT strategic roadmaps that align technology investment with mission, from FTC litigation support to DoD warfighter readiness.As a current career SES appointee, I bring immediate eligibility and proven executive credibility for senior IT leadership roles at the intersection of strategy, architecture, and national security.Key Expertise:Federal IT Strategy; AI Governance & Chief AI Officer; Zero Trust Architecture; Enterprise Architecture; Cloud Modernization; Cybersecurity Risk Management; IT Portfolio Management; Digital Transformation; DevSecOps; OMB / TMF Oversight; Blended Workforce Leadership

Experience

1. Chief Information Officer, Chief Data Office, and Chief Ai Officer

   Federal Trade Commission

   Jul 2023 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   As a multi-hatted executive and servant leader, I serve as principal advisor to the Chairman, Commissioners, and Executive Director on IT modernization and emerging technology. I direct long-term strategy, resource allocation, and integration of secure, resilient systems that connect agency members to their data, to each other, and to the American people.AI Strategy & Governance (CAIO)- Built the agency\'s AI framework from scratch, leading responsible adoption of AI technologies to enhance mission delivery and data processing- Established governance protocols and ethical guidelines ensuring all AI initiatives align with federal mandates and data privacy standards- Identified, evaluated, and piloted emerging technologies including automation and advanced analytics to improve operational effectiveness and cost efficienciesCloud Modernization & Innovation- Orchestrated Zero-Trust architecture migration, moving 90%+ of IT services to the cloud in a federated environment- Secured $1.3M in external funding to modernize a critical citizen-facing database, achieving 99.99% uptime and 40% cost reduction- Established common protocols and promoted systems management uniformity across distributed infrastructureCybersecurity & Data Privacy- Direct 246-person workforce; implemented agency\'s first cloud-native Security Operations Center (SOC) for enhanced threat detection- Maintained compliance with federal data protection regulations, including standards parallel to GDPR and CCPA- Achieved 100% MFA adoption for privileged users and 30-day patching cycle for all workstations, exceeding federal security thresholdsLeadership & Collaboration- Mentor and develop diverse team of 246+ IT professionals through servant leadership principles- Foster collaborative environments across the agency, positioning technology as mission enabler- Translate technology vision into tactical plans aligned with organizational goals

Education

• University of Notre Dame

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Computer Science

• National Intelligence University

  Master of Science (M.S.), Strategic Intelligence

Skills

• Command
• Foreign Military Sales
• Afghanistan
• Logistics
• Emergency Management
• Security Clearance
• Military Training
• Military Experience
• Readiness
• Special Operations
• Military Operations
• Army
• Military Logistics
• Weapons
• Healthcare Information Technology (Hit)
• Top Secret
• Military
• Intelligence Analysis
• Government
• Disaster Response
• Intelligence
• Force Protection
• IT Governance
• Tactics
• Military Medicine
• Operational Planning
• Counterterrorism
• Defense
• Dod
• National Security