Senate confirms Ethan Klein to be fifth US CTO

The Senate on Thursday evening confirmed a slew of tech nominations in an en-bloc vote, including Ethan Klein to be the U.S. Chief Technology Officer after the office had been vacant for nearly five years.

Klein, nominated in March, will also serve as an associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He is a familiar face in the tech sphere for the Trump administration, having previously served as a technology policy adviser for the Office of Science and Technology Policy for nearly the entirety of President Donald Trump’s first term.

After 2021, Klein pursued and completed a Ph.D. in nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During this time, he also served as a nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards fellow, with funding provided by the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The role of U.S. Federal CTO was established by President Barack Obama in 2009. Past occupants include Aneesh Chopra, Todd Park, Megan Smit and current White House OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, who served during the first Trump administration. While President Joe Biden did not appoint a U.S. CTO, those who have held the position historically focused on using technology to create jobs and enhance performance of federal agencies.

“Thank you to President Donald J. Trump and Director Michael Kratsios for entrusting me with the role of U.S. Chief Technology Officer at this pivotal moment,” Klein said in a statement. “As someone who has worked both at the lab bench and the White House, I believe deeply in America’s vibrant tech ecosystem and the promise of emerging technologies to fundamentally improve American lives. The Golden Age of American Innovation has only just begun.”

The votes further staff the second Trump administration with needed tech, science and cybersecurity talent for the new year.

The Senate also confirmed Kirsten Davies to be CIO of the Defense Department. She has received broad support from the cybersecurity community.

Davies has held IT and cybersecurity roles at major firms, including Unilever, the Estée Lauder Companies and Booz Allen Hamilton. She is also the co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Cyber, a digital safety nonprofit, and has been a member of the National Security Institute’s Cyber and Tech Security Council at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

Pedro Allende was also included in the en-bloc confirmation list and confirmed to lead the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology office. He has most recently led Florida’s Department of Management Services. Allende was previously deputy assistant secretary for infrastructure, risk and resilience policy with the Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans at DHS.