Marcela Escobar-Alava Named CIO of Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced Marcela Escobar-Alava as its new chief information officer (CIO). She will start office on March 4.

Prior to this, Escobar-Alava was extensively engaged in technology operations at the White House, serving as both Chief of Enterprise Applications since May 2023 and Deputy Director of Technology since 2021.

Escobar-Alava brings in extensive private sector expertise having served as CIO at Monarch Landscape Companies, Chief Digital Officer at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and divisional CIO at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she spent nearly four years and over eight years respectively.

“She has a wealth of experience in successfully building highly engaged, transformative, agile, and innovative organizations with a customer-first orientation,” says SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley in a statement. “She will make an excellent addition to our senior leadership team.”

Escobar-Alava has an MBA degree from USC Marshall School of Business and a bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is a federal agency tasked with managing various social programs, including disability, retirement, and survivors' benefits. Additionally, it oversees the issuance of Social Security numbers and handles the program's financial operations and trust fund.