GSA Sharpens Focus On Tech InnovationGSA Sharpens Focus On Tech Innovation

The General Services Administration has restructured its offices in an effort to focus more on technology innovation as part of its Open Government Directive activities, a spokeswoman confirmed Monday.

The GSA has renamed its previous Office of Citizen Services and Communications the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies. Former U.S. Department of the Interior CIO Sanjeev "Sonny" Bhagowalia will lead the innovative technologies effort as deputy associate administrator of the Office of Innovative Technologies, a role he assumed on Monday.

Dave McClure, who ran the previous Office of Citizen Services and Communications as associate administrator, will now take over that same position at the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.

The GSA has split off its communications activities into a separate Office of Communications and Marketing, which is led by associate administrator Sahar Wali.

The reshuffling is part of the GSA's transparency efforts under the Open Government Directive, an Obama administration mandate requiring all government agencies to make their activities more visible to the public through the use of technology.

The idea to form a separate office to promote innovative technologies stemmed from a Web-based public dialogue tool the GSA began offering federal agencies in January.

The tool, offered free to the agencies, allows them to create public forums for citizens to share ideas, provide feedback, and foster discussion with each of the agencies.

The GSA did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the new office late Monday afternoon.