Google’s Megan Smith tapped as new U.S. CTO

President Obama has appointed a Google executive, Megan Smith, to join his administration as chief technology officer.

Smith, who most recently served as vice president of new business development at Google, is the third person to take on this role since the administration created the position in April 2009. Previously, Aneesha Chopra and Todd Park served as the U.S. CTO.

“Megan has spent her career leading talented teams and taking cutting-edge technology and innovation initiatives from concept to design to deployment,” said President Obama in a statement. “I am confident that in her new role … she will put her long record of leadership and exceptional skills to work on behalf of the American people.”

The White House also announced that Alexander Macgillivray will serve as deputy U.S. CTO. Macgillivray is an internationally recognized expert in technology law and policy. He most recently served as general counsel and head of public policy at Twitter from 2009 to 2013, according to the White House.

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