Federal Chief Information Officer Gregory Barbaccia has a new deputy: Thomas Flagg, currently the CIO for the Education Department, according to an internal email viewed by Nextgov/FCW.
Flagg has been at Education since fall 2024, and he worked at the Labor Department for over 11 years before that.
“He understands firsthand the operational realities, constraints, frustrations, and opportunities that agency technology leaders face every day,” Barbaccia wrote in the email announcing Flagg’s new role. “I am looking forward to working with him as he brings that ground-truth knowledge into the federal policy process, helping us better interpret agency pain points and translate them into practical, effective government-wide direction.”
OMB did not return a request for comment.
Flagg joins the OMB team as Barbaccia is split between several roles, including serving as the acting director of the Technology Transformation Services within the General Services Administration. That team helps agencies across the government with their technology, including by maintaining some central solutions. It has lost about 70% of its staff since President Donald Trump took office last year.
Barbaccia is also the federal chief AI officer — overseeing the government’s AI efforts — and serves as the federal government’s service delivery lead under the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act.

