Ira L. Hobbs

Ira L. Hobbs was selected as the Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 1, 1997. As Deputy CIO, Mr. Hobbs shares responsibility for the overall management of USDA's Information Resources Management (IRM) and Information Technology (IT) assets. He directs and co-manages a staff of 260 IRM professionals and 1.7 billion dollars in physical assets. He brings to the job a strong background in IRM as well as administrative management. Given the ever-increasing emphasis and reliance on technology in all aspects of the work place, Mr. Hobbs is helping the Office of the Chief Information Officer move forward with a new vision of the way we do our work.

Mr. Hobbs is a member of the Presidentially-appointed Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; USDA Graduate School Board of Directors; Leadership Washington, Class of 1996; the American Society for Public Administration; and the Conference of Minority Public Administrators. He is also Co-Chair of the CIO Council IT Workforce Challenge Committee and President of the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM).

Prior to accepting the position as USDA's Deputy CIO, Mr. Hobbs was the Director of the Office of Operations, USDA, from 1994 to 1997. He had overall responsibility for management of the four building complex at Headquarters, directed the departmental procurement program, and was responsible for USDA's National Information Technology Center. From 1989 to 1994, Mr. Hobbs was the Director of the Information Systems and Communications Division of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Prior to this, Mr. Hobbs held several other positions within APHIS in the areas of administrative services and human resources. He began his career with USDA as a Presidential Management Intern in 1978.

Mr. Hobbs received USDA's Honor Award for Superior Service in 1996 and 1985.

Mr. Hobbs is a native of Tallahassee, Florida. After a three-year tour of duty in the United States Army, he received a B.A. degree in political science from Florida A&M University in 1976. He earned a master of public administration degree from Florida State University in 1977. During that same year he received the Odell Waldby Outstanding Graduate Student of Public Administration Award.