Leidos adds former acting VA CIO Thomas to strategic, government relations team

Leidos has appointed former acting Veterans Affairs Chief Information Officer Rob Thomas as vice president for strategic accounts and government relations.

Thomas will work to further build up customer relationships and drive organic growth strategies at Leidos, the government services contractor said Monday.

The 35-year federal service veteran moved up to acting CIO in January upon the departure of LaVerne Council on the change in administration and oversaw an almost $4.5 billion IT budget at the VA. Prior to that, he held the deputy CIO role for nearly two years.

Thomas’ government service career also has included roles such as acting CIO and deputy CIO at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, deputy chief of staff for warfighting integration and deputy CIO at the Air Force, executive director at the Air Force Personnel Center and director for technology and architecture and chief architect at Customs and Border Protection.

He joined FEMA in 2012 after four years as vice president of enterprise transformation at Accenture.