Mr. FedRAMP is Leaving Government

A major player in the government’s cloud adoption efforts is headed to the private sector after a decade in civil service.

Matt Goodrich, a senior advisor for the Technology Transformation Service at the General Services Administration, will be stepping down from his post on July 26. Goodrich announced his departure via Twitter on Monday.

Though he held a variety of posts across the executive branch, Goodrich is perhaps best known for spearheading the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program office, or FedRAMP, at GSA. As the program’s director from its inception in September 2011 through August 2018, Goodrich helped lay the groundwork for the broader government’s adoption of cloud services.

The FedRAMP program offers cloud service providers a way to more rapidly ensure their products meet government security standards. Today, more than 220 providers have been authorized under the program, giving some 150 agencies easier access to vetted, secure cloud technology, according to the FedRAMP website.

"FedRAMP has certainly been a game changer for government but what was most impressive was watching Matt drive this big idea, work tirelessly behind the scenes to navigate the intense bureaucracy and stay committed to making it better everyday with extremely limited resources," said Kelly Olson, who formerly led GSA's Technology Transformation Services wing and worked closely with Goodrich on various initiatives for almost a decade. "His leadership, determination and resilience is inspiring and I have no doubt he will continue to serve and transform the cloud security landscape in government for many years to come.”

The office has also worked extensively with agencies to help them overcome obstacles to cloud adoption.

“A large part of the work we’re looking to do is to better understand the cloud needs across the U.S. government to make more informed decisions about creating those products and services agencies need: anything from creating technical solutions, matching them up to the right acquisition vehicle, or creating playbooks for a smooth transition,” Goodrich said in a conversation with Nextgov in 2016.

From August 2018 through May, Goodrich served as acting assistant commissioner for products and programming, which oversees FedRAMP and other high-profile tech initiatives within TTS. He previously served as a Presidential Management Fellow at GSA and a policy analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, according to his LinkedIn page.

“It's been a wild ride the last 10 years—launching Apps.gov, working at the White House, leading & transforming FedRAMP, running OPP,” he said on Twitter. “I'm proud of all I've done & excited for what the next 10 years will bring.”

GSA declined to comment on Goodrich’s departure.