(US and Canada) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has appointed Dr. Kristen Honey as Chief Data Officer for the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy division and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC). 

With 15 years of experience, Honey has been at the forefront of advancing evidence-based policy, open data, open science, open innovation, emerging technologies, and public-private partnerships. In 2020, during the COVID-19 response, Honey played a pivotal role in helping HHS establish the Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO), serving as Acting CDO and Executive Director of Data Operations. 

In her new role, Honey will oversee data governance and policy development, lead data literacy and talent initiatives, manage the HHS data strategy, foster collaboration and data exchange, and ensure HHS leverages its data as a strategic asset for the department.

Before joining HHS in late 2018, she served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) from 2015–2017, leading the Open Data portfolio and advising the U.S. Chief Technology Officer. She also worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 2017–2018, where she advised the Federal Chief Information Officer.

Honey earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University through the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER), specializing in biology and economics, with a Ph.D. minor in Civil and Environmental Engineering.