OMB gets first chief technology officer

The Office of Management and Budget got new technology muscle this month with the addition of Norman Lorentz. The former U.S. Postal Service official began work Jan. 2 as OMB's first chief technology officer, according to OMB spokeswoman Jennifer Wood.

Lorentz will report to Mark Forman, OMB's associate director for information technology and e-government. One of Forman's major tasks is overseeing 23 e-government initiatives that will use technology to improve citizen services.

Lorentz will act as the federal government's chief e-government architect, leading multiple technical efforts to define, implement and maintain key elements of strategic e-government architecture, Wood said.

Lorentz, a 30-year veteran of the IT industry, has managed IT budgets worth billions. He was senior vice president and chief technology officer at the Postal Service from 1996 to 2000. Most recently, he was senior vice president of Dice Inc. in New York, an online provider of career development resources to IT professionals. Previously, he had an 18-year tenure with telecommunications firm U S West Inc.

Lorentz received the Postal Service Board of Governors award for leadership excellence.

He earned a master's degree in business administration with honors from Arizona State University and a bachelor's degree in technical management from Regis University, where he serves on the board of regents. He holds an honorary doctorate from the National Graduate School of Quality Management. He is an Air Force veteran.