The CIO of DHS
 

If Michael Brown's credentials of being president of the Arabian Horse Association wasn't good enough.

The credentials for the Chief Information Officer of DHS? A Masters in plant science.

Sleep tight, TSAers. This is the guy who is in charge of storage of your personal information.

Lots of people have degrees that aren't neccesarily related to their job. Degrees are really just a foot in the door in a career so providing he does his job correctly (not saying he is, not saying he isn't), why does it matter?

Of course it's possible, and happens often when people do that.

To me, the bar is raised when you're talking about, oh, Homeland Security.

Lord knows we hear every day about how we can't let our guard down, we can't take any chances and we have to be vigilant, blah blah blah.

When it comes to the dude in charge of Homeland Security information, that at least a degree in computer sciences or something somewhat relevant might be a good idea.

Agree completely. It's a technical field that should require credentials. A title does not bestow expertise upon it's holder.

But, as long as you are willing to do the master's bidding and are somehow connected to the administration, you're in...(as in the 38 year old niece of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and current wife of Chertoff's Chief of Staff, she is now in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement...with no credentials whatsoever)

News Flash -- Government CIOs Don't Need CompSci Degrees
 

My datum point is one. Here's a current vacancy announcement for the CIO position at the National Park Service: http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/get...&TabNum=1&rc=6

I couple of points --

The CIO job is a series 0340 (Program Management), which does not require a technical degree. For that matter, the IT Series (2210) does not have a college degree requirement at all (allows for someone to be hired without a college degree to work a help desk).

The NPS CIO vacancy does have a technical question in which the applicant must describe their IT-related experience.

For the DHS guy, he must have been selected over candidates who had actual computer science and IT backgrounds. For that matter, DHS had 23 CIOs from the agencies that were forced to become DHS. You would have thought that at least one of the 23 might have been more qualified than this guy. He must have some pictures.

There are plenty of other actual CIOs out there who have an academic background in a related field. There's a reson why none of them applied to be the DHS CIO.

Also, there's a reasohn why this guy couldn't get a decent job in the biological sciences field.

However, perhaps a degree in plant science is critical when dealing with all the plant life that works at the DHS from Chertoff on down.

Just to show you how effective this guys is

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=40463

And we trust these guys to "secure" us? :rolleyes:

Need an expert to grow all the good weed they're smoking.

When you are a branch chief, it would stand to reason that you have worked your way up in that area of expertise. Having a degree completely unrelated to your profession makes me wonder.:confused:

I could understand a Batchlor's in Plant Science with a side-step to the IT industry after obtaining an undergraduate degree -- but a Master's in Plant Science .. ?

What's the CIO growing that they're smokin?

Either that, or they went to one of those "gold rush" IT academies where they make you a paper MCSE in 6 months. :rolleyes:

Maybe he's actually an al Qaeda plant?

Comrade CIO has plant science degree? Is good thing! His agency consists mainly of oxygen scrubbers, so he should have wonderful insights when selecting the plants that will deal with adsorbing the carbon dioxide they produce.

He's just part of the cycle of photosynthesis. Too bad there are so many dim bulbs that there's insufficient light available to sustain the process.

The press release announcing his appointment

Scott Charbo was nominated June 20, 2005, by President Bush to be the Department of Homeland Security’s second Chief Information Officer. Charbo leads the resource efforts for the information technology assets supporting 180,000 federal employees of the 22 agencies now comprising the new department, totaling $5.9 billion in IT expenditures. Charbo is focused on integrating new and existing sources of essential homeland security information in full compliance with our broader values of privacy, civil liberties, and openness. Additionally, cyber security, infrastructure improvements, and IT management are his emphasis.

Charbo was the Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture from August 2002, until coming to DHS in June 2005. Charbo was responsible for the overall management of USDA's information resources and IT assets, overseeing more than 4,000 IT professionals and $1.7 billion in physical assets. He was also responsible for the Department’s overhaul of eGovernment initiatives and results in alpha security improvements.

Charbo served as the USDA’s Farm Service Agency director of the Office of Business and Program Integration from July until August 2002. He was responsible for planning, developing and administering the agency's programs and policies and provided direction in the areas of economic and policy analysis, appeals and litigation, strategic management and corporate operations, outreach programs and strategic planning, and leadership in the Agency's citizen-centered eGovernment initiatives.

Before joining USDA, Charbo was the president of mPower3, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ConAgra Foods Company from 1998 to 2002. From 1993 to 1997, he was Director of the Environmental and Regulatory Services for Tri-State Delta Chemicals in Memphis, Tenn., which provided access to services and communications relating to crop production, fertilizer and seed, farm credit/loans and farm-related environmental concerns. As an extension agent for the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences from 1989 to 1993, Charbo had regulatory responsibilities for the Agriculture Department in Palm Beach County.

Charbo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Tampa and a Master of Science degree in plant science from the University of Nevada-Reno.

He will know how to treat us vegetables I suppose.;)