Charles Worthington to Step Down as VA CTO & Chief AI Officer – ExecutiveGov
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Charles Worthington announced he will step down from his role as chief technology officer and chief artificial intelligence officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs after several years overseeing digital modernization and AI initiatives at VA.
As federal leaders highlight the growing role of AI in transforming public-sector systems and workforce productivity, the conversation around AI adoption and innovation continues across government and industry. Join the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 18 to connect with leaders shaping the future of AI in the federal landscape. Register now!
In a LinkedIn post published Thursday, Worthington said serving at VA has been the most rewarding chapter of his career so far and expressed enthusiasm about the next phase of his work.
“We are in the early innings of the most important technology shift since the Internet. The deep integration of AI into the systems that power how we live, work, and experience critical services has barely begun, and I plan to be building at this frontier at scale,” he noted in his post.
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In his post, Worthington highlighted several initiatives the VA technology team carried out during his tenure.
The team modernized VA.gov, transforming the department’s web presence into a veteran-focused digital platform that integrates multiple VA systems. The website now serves about 18 million users per month and processes more than 100 million transactions annually, according to Worthington.
VA also launched its flagship mobile application, which has recorded more than 4 million downloads and about 1.8 million monthly active users, with a 4.8-star rating in the Apple App Store.
The CTO said the team expanded access to generative AI tools across the VA workforce, enabling more than 120,000 employees to use AI capabilities. The department also deployed clinical decision support tools to about 110,000 clinicians and introduced ambient AI scribes used by more than 2,500 providers.
The department also used AI-powered document processing to help eliminate a 70,000-case application backlog and introduced engineering practices, such as DORA metric tracking and AI-enabled developer tools for more than 2,000 developers, according to Worthington.
Worthington is a software developer who joined the federal government in 2013 as a Presidential Innovation Fellow.
During that time, he helped co-found the U.S. Digital Service at the White House, an organization focused on improving federal digital services. He co-authored the Digital Services Playbook and implemented digital service engagements at several agencies.
In 2017, Worthington moved to the VA, where he leads cloud and AI adoption efforts and other digital modernization initiatives.
According to his LinkedIn profile, the Harvard University graduate founded and served as principal of Gray Duck Labs. Earlier in his career, he served as an engagement manager at Altman Solon.
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ExecutiveGov, published by Executive Mosaic, is a site dedicated to the news and headlines in the federal government. ExecutiveGov serves as a news source for the hot topics and issues facing federal government departments and agencies such as Gov 2.0, cybersecurity policy, health IT, green IT and national security. We also aim to spotlight various federal government employees and interview key government executives whose impact resonates beyond their agency.
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This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
Charles Worthington announced he will step down from his role as chief technology officer and chief artificial intelligence officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs after several years overseeing digital modernization and AI initiatives at VA.
As federal leaders highlight the growing role of AI in transforming public-sector systems and workforce productivity, the conversation around AI adoption and innovation continues across government and industry. Join the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 18 to connect with leaders shaping the future of AI in the federal landscape. Register now!
In a LinkedIn post published Thursday, Worthington said serving at VA has been the most rewarding chapter of his career so far and expressed enthusiasm about the next phase of his work.
“We are in the early innings of the most important technology shift since the Internet. The deep integration of AI into the systems that power how we live, work, and experience critical services has barely begun, and I plan to be building at this frontier at scale,” he noted in his post.
Table of Contents
In his post, Worthington highlighted several initiatives the VA technology team carried out during his tenure.
The team modernized VA.gov, transforming the department’s web presence into a veteran-focused digital platform that integrates multiple VA systems. The website now serves about 18 million users per month and processes more than 100 million transactions annually, according to Worthington.
VA also launched its flagship mobile application, which has recorded more than 4 million downloads and about 1.8 million monthly active users, with a 4.8-star rating in the Apple App Store.
The CTO said the team expanded access to generative AI tools across the VA workforce, enabling more than 120,000 employees to use AI capabilities. The department also deployed clinical decision support tools to about 110,000 clinicians and introduced ambient AI scribes used by more than 2,500 providers.
The department also used AI-powered document processing to help eliminate a 70,000-case application backlog and introduced engineering practices, such as DORA metric tracking and AI-enabled developer tools for more than 2,000 developers, according to Worthington.
Worthington is a software developer who joined the federal government in 2013 as a Presidential Innovation Fellow.
During that time, he helped co-found the U.S. Digital Service at the White House, an organization focused on improving federal digital services. He co-authored the Digital Services Playbook and implemented digital service engagements at several agencies.
In 2017, Worthington moved to the VA, where he leads cloud and AI adoption efforts and other digital modernization initiatives.
According to his LinkedIn profile, the Harvard University graduate founded and served as principal of Gray Duck Labs. Earlier in his career, he served as an engagement manager at Altman Solon.
The U.S. Army is advancing efforts to modernize its unmanned aircraft capabilities to support multidomain operations through the Group 4+ Short/Vertical Takeoff and Landing, or S/VTOL, Challenge, DVIDS reported Monday. The Army’s latest challenge highlights the service’s push to modernize unmanned aviation and strengthen collaboration with industry. Join defense leaders and technology innovators at the 2026 Army Summit on June 18 to hear firsthand how the service is advancing future capabilities. Book your spot now! The challenge will involve collaboration with industry partners to inform acquisition, development and procurement strategies for future unmanned aircraft platforms. The Portfolio Acquisition Executive, or
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a request for information seeking industry partners capable of supporting the transition of the National Airspace System to post-quantum cryptography, or PQC. The FAA’s modernization efforts reflect the broader government push to upgrade legacy systems, a topic that will take center stage at Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22. Register now. According to the sources sought notice posted on SAM.gov Tuesday, the FAA is seeking potential vendors to move its air traffic control infrastructure, as well as its IT and business systems to PQC as part of the agency’s modernization effort.
The Department of War’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 program is officially underway, but a new federal watchdog report warns that its long-term success is threatened by a critical lack of planning for external market pressures. A Government Accountability Office report published Thursday reveals that the Pentagon has failed to systematically account for external factors that could stall implementation. Chief among these concerns is whether the private sector has enough certified assessors to handle the approximately 80,000 defense contractors now requiring Level 2 certification. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Cyber Summit on May 21 will bring together government and industry
ExecutiveGov, published by Executive Mosaic, is a site dedicated to the news and headlines in the federal government. ExecutiveGov serves as a news source for the hot topics and issues facing federal government departments and agencies such as Gov 2.0, cybersecurity policy, health IT, green IT and national security. We also aim to spotlight various federal government employees and interview key government executives whose impact resonates beyond their agency.
Read More >>
Copyright © 2025
Executive Mosaic
All Rights Reserved
source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!

