Current Position: Federal Chief Technology Officer (since May 2009)
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Why He Matters
The television shows that depict local and federal agencies usually have a modern building filled with new gadgets. But in reality, when imagining most government offices, think drab interior with a chance of high speed Internet. President Barack Obama vowed to change that when he arrived in Washington, and, to help him with that task, he hired Chopra as chief technology officer.
Chopra is used to working in environments in dire need of an upgrade. As Virginia’s secretary of technology for four years, Chopra helped develop a modern web site, using social networking tools that ranged from the obvious, such as Facebook and Twitter, to the lesser-known, such as Ning, which creates smaller social networks. Chopra used Ning to get information to small-town Virginia doctors about combating obesity or immunization updates. With the cooperation of telecom companies, Chopra helped develop a map showing comparing the areas of Virginia with broadband access and to those that lack it. To close the gap, Virginia asked for $100 million in federal broadband stimulus funds.
Obama wants to implement similar initiatives on the national scale. With health-care reform among Obama’s primary goals, Chopra’s experience will come in handy. He spent eight years at the Advisory Board, a health-care research and consulting company.
Other issues Chopra will likely work on include increasing high-speed Internet coverage throughout the U.S. and improving the educational system with new, cheaper online tools.
At a Glance
Current Position: Federal Chief Technology Officer (since May 2009)
Career History: Secretary of Technology for the state of Virginia (2005 to 2009)
Birthday: July 13, 1972
Hometown: Trenton, N.J.
Alma Mater: Johns Hopkins University, B.A. (public health), 1994; Harvard University, M.A. (public policy), 1997
Spouse: N/A
Religion: N/A
DC Office: N/A
State/District Office: N/A
Email N/A
Web site
Path to Power
Born in Trenton, N.J., in 1972, Chopra quickly learned the importance of education, particularly math. His parents would make him do 20 pages of math problems a day before playing with friends — that was in the first grade.
Chopra earned a degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in 1994, and then went to work at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker. He calls that the most important job of his life because it taught him what drives economic growth. But he didn’t stay there long. He left to study public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and gained a Master’s in 1997.
Then Chopra moved to Washington to work as a consultant at the Advisory Board, a health-care research and consultancy firm. He worked up to the rank of managing director before leaving in late 2005 to join Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s (D) administration as the state’s tech czar. Chopra helped implement multiple tech-forward initiatives, such as using iTunes to complement learning tools for public school children or the creation of the state’s broadband technology map, which shows where it is and where there still needs to be more development. To close the gaps, Virginia asked for $100 million of the $7.3 billion that the February 2009 stimulus bill allocated for broadband infrastructure.
After President Barack Obama was elected in November 2008, Chopra volunteered to help with technology and innovation policy on the transition team.
The Issues
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama espoused the goal of creating a Cabinet-level chief technology officer. Once Obama took office, tech enthusiasts’ expectations for a 21st- century administration grew as rumors circulated that the candidates for the CTO position ranged from Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to Julius Genachowski, Obama’s chief technology adviser during the campaign. Schmidt withdrew his name from possible contention early in the vetting process, while Genachowski heads the Federal Communications Commission.
The CTO position didn’t get Cabinet-level status and Chopra had less name recognition, but he has worked for four years as Virginia’s secretary of technology, helping build the Old Dominion into one of the nation’s leaders in developing high-speed Internet access for every company in the state.
Chopra’s health-care knowledge will also aid in developing ways to streamline the medical field, decreasing costs without hurting the quality of care. Computerizing medical records is widely regarded as a key element in both improving medical care and cutting costs.
“Aneesh will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities — from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure,” said Obama when announcing Chopra’s new role.
Virginia CTO
While Chopra led many Virginia technological improvements, three actions could reflect his plans for a national strategy. In education, Chopra has been a leading advocate of using online tools like iTunes. In March 2009, Gov. Tim Kaine announced the creation of “Virginia on iTunes U,” a program that posts free study guides and materials on the music and video download site. A student can access the material for free, download it to an iPod or iPhone and use it wherever they want. “This is part of the 21st century learning platform that could have a tremendous impact—we have high expectations for this program," said Chopra.
Chopra also created communication tools enabling less tech-savvy groups to create a social network to discuss topics and strategies. For example, Chopra created a group on the social-network site Ning to connect Virginia's rural doctors.The state can tap the network to disseminate information quickly.
When Kaine entered office in January 2006, he vowed to provide every business in the state with broadband access, and Chopra was tasked with making it happen. By April 2009, Virginia had nearly reached that goal. A map created by Chopra to accurately pinpoint technologically underserved areas helped guide state policy. Kaine asked for $100 million dollars in federal stimulus money to help achieve that goal.
The Network
Prior to joining the Obama administration, Chopra worked for Virginia’s Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine. While working for Kaine, one of Chopra’s co-workers was Obama’s chief information officer Vivek Kundra.
From 1997 to 2005, Chopra worked in various positions at the Advisory Board. Obama’s nominee for chief performance officer, Jeffrey Zients, worked at the Advisory Board from 1992 to 2004.
Campaign Contributions
Chopra has donated more than $24,000 since 1997 to various campaigns. With the exception of a $1,000 donation to Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal (R) in 2004, all of Chopra’s contributions have gone to Democrats. From 2007 to 2008, Chopra donated $2,750 to
Obama’s presidential campaign.
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