The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) for VA’s Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is the alter ego to the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Information and Technology/Chief Information Officer. Mr. Beard is responsible for executing the mission objectives of the Department of Veterans Affairs as determined by the vision of the VA Secretary and the VA Assistant Secretary for IT/CIO. Responsible for oversight and operations of all IT activities in the department of 8,150 staff and 9,000 contractors serving 500,000 VA staff with a budget of >$7 billion. He performs strategic planning, quality improvement, and operational evaluation for programs, products, and services within OIT. He also oversees VA’s cyber and information security program. Mr. Beard was awarded the VA Secretary’s Meritorious Service Award in May 2021 and was named a MileKarker10 Disruptive Tech Change Agent by FedHealthIT in January 2021.
