IRS gets new CIO from Time Warner
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The IRS has tapped John Reece as its chief information officer and the deputy commissioner for modernization, a new post.
| GCN STAFFThe IRS has tapped John Reece as its chief information officer and the deputy commissioner for modernization, a new post.'My job will be to bring modernization and the old information systems together,' said Reece, who began his new job last month. 'I call that seamless evolution. They are part of the same whole.'Reece, a former vice president for information technology at AOL Time Warner Inc., will manage agencywide IT operations and business systems modernization.'We will be working on using our systems to provide services effectively,' he said. 'We have to figure out how we can use existing systems and where we need to go from there.'High on his priority list is providing more services to customers via the Internet instead of relying on postal mail.The agency also plans to hire a chief of technology services, another new position, within the next few weeks.Referring to the magnitude of the IRS modernization effort, Reece said that he will make full use of his friends' advice of never underestimating the IRS. To move forward with the largest civilian agency modernization effort, it will be vital for the tax agency to work with Congress and the General Accounting Office, Reece said.'One challenge is to get back the confidence' of Congress, he said, adding that to do so will require showing progress and delivering timely results.Reece has several years of experience in industry IT management. At AOL Time Warner, he led efforts to establish global messaging and an intranet, and bolster IT security. He also managed the company's year 2000 readiness program.At insurance broker Alexander & Alexander International Inc. he developed information and telecommunications strategies. He also was a managing partner in a Midwest office of Booz, Allen & Hamilton Inc. of McLean, Va.'There's no difference in the work culture' between government and industry, Reece said. 'If at all, there's a drive here to get more work done.'
BY PREETI VASISHTA
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 | John Reece |
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