NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image left: Pat Dunnington, Chief Information Officer. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Patricia L. Dunnington is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As NASA CIO, she provides the requisite leadership to transform the management of information technology (IT) capabilities and services to support and enable NASA’s mission. She ensures that the Agency’s information resource management (IRM) strategy is in alignment with NASA’s vision, mission, and strategic goals. Accordingly, Ms. Dunnington ensures the development of integrated IRM strategies, including standards, policies, NASA Enterprise Architecture, IT security, management, and operations. She has the responsibility, authority and accountability for ensuring that NASA’s information assets are selected, controlled and evaluated consistent with federal policies, procedures, and legislation. Ms. Dunnington is the NASA Champion for implementing the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) for E-Government.

Ms. Dunnington was appointed as the NASA CIO in 2003. Prior to this appointment, she had served as the NASA Deputy CIO in 2002 and as the CIO for the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, from 1996-2002. Prior to her assignment at NASA Langley, Ms. Dunnington had served in a number of increasingly responsible positions in the NASA Headquarters Office of Aero-Space Technology, including the CIO for that mission area and Manager of the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Program. She began her NASA career in 1982 as a Presidential Management Intern.

In transforming NASA’s information infrastructure to enable the mission, Ms. Dunnington has been recognized with numerous awards including NASA's Exceptional Achievement Medal, NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal, and NASA’s Medal for Outstanding Leadership. Ms. Dunnington is a recognized leader in the federal CIO community and frequently speaks to industry and government groups on information technology strategies and leadership.

Ms. Dunnington received her undergraduate degree from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., and an M.G.A from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.