Woodward out, Guzman in at Defense biometrics office

John Woodward Jr. has resigned as director of the Defense Department's Biometrics Management Office. Joseph Guzman has been named acting director.

There has been a change at the helm of the Defense Department's Biometrics Management Office.

John Woodward Jr., who has been serving as director of the BMO since fall 2003, has resigned to return to Rand Corp. as associate director of its Intelligence Policy Center. Joseph Guzman, who joined BMO in January as director of policy, planning and liaison, has been named acting director.

"Since joining DOD Biometrics, Dr. Guzman has been instrumental in orchestrating key relationships with ... government agencies," said Maj. Gen. Conrad Ponder, chief integration officer for the Army CIO/G-6. "His leadership is critical as the U.S. military brings technology to the warfighter and supports efforts in the global war on terrorism."

Guzman came to BMO from the Center for Naval Analyses Corp., a federally funded R&D center working with the Navy Department and other defense agencies. At CNA he served as a senior policy economist in their public-research division. Before that, Guzman was an economist with Rand and served as an assistant professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. He holds a doctorate in economic analysis and policy from Stanford University.

His assignment was made through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program, which allows personnel to move between qualified organizations for up to four years.

In his previous tenure at Rand, Woodward worked as a senior policy analyst on national security, intelligence and technology policy issues. Before that he was an operations officer for the CIA.

Patience Wait is a staff writer for Washington Technology's sister publication, Government Computer News.