CMS CIO Newbold to leave federal service – Federal News Network
Mark Plaugher, the director of the information systems group at CMS, will be the acting CIO until the agency hires a permanent one.
Patrick Newbold, the chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is leaving federal service after seven years.
In an email to staff, obtained by Federal News Network, Newbold said his last day is Nov. 27. He didn’t say where he was going next.
“Serving as your CIO and director [of the Office of Information Technology] has been one of the great privileges of my career. Together, we have navigated complex challenges, strengthened our technology foundation, accelerated innovation and demonstrated what is possible when talented people come together around a shared mission,” Newbold wrote. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished and, more importantly, of the people who made it possible.”
Mark Plaugher, the director of the information systems group at CMS, will be the acting CIO until the agency hires a permanent one.
Join WTOP Nov. 17 for the Critical Infrastructure and Digital Trust webinar where experts will examine how government and industry can work together to modernize the grid and ensure the nation’s most critical operations have dependable power. Register today!
Plaugher, who has been with CMS for more than 15 years, started working in the CIO’s office on Nov. 2.
“Mark brings extensive CMS experience, a deep understanding of our mission, and a strong record of leadership. Having previously served in OIT and in senior leadership roles across CMS, he understands both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leading technology in an organization of this scale and importance,” Newbold wrote. “Mark has also been a valued partner in advancing our vision over the past two years. I look forward to partnering with him throughout this transition and ask that you extend to him the same support, collaboration, and commitment that you have shown me.”
CMS also recently brought over Brian Peltier, who was the deputy CIO and head of technology, customer data and AI at the Social Security Administration. Peltier is the deputy director of the Office of IT.
Additionally, Newbold promoted Shauntia Bell to be the director of CMS’s Enterprise Systems Solutions Group. Bell has been with CMS for 14 years, including spending the last seven years as the director of the Division of Enterprise Services.
Newbold, who joined CMS as its CIO in November 2024, also worked at NASA, the Social Security Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers as deputy CIO.
During his tenure at CMS, Newbold led several modernization efforts to improve the agency’s underlying infrastructure and apply artificial intelligence tools to mission areas, including preventing fraud. CMS launched the Office of Health Technology and Products in June to compliment the CIO’s office. OHTP is focused more on citizen services while the CIO’s office is charged with delivering the infrastructure and technology strategy.
Among his accomplishments include using the General Services Administration’s OneGov contract to modernize CMS’s cloud infrastructure through a contract with AWS.
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“We needed to move a mission-critical contact center out of a legacy data center and into the cloud. GSA had negotiated the OneGov agreement. We did our due diligence, saw an opportunity to modernize while delivering better value, and moved forward. The result: 46% savings on that workload! But we did not stop with the initial agreement,” Newbold wrote on LinkedIn in August. “CMS now has 16 OneGov cloud agreements supporting 11 mission areas, from beneficiary customer relationship management and claims modernization to payment integrity. Each represents more than a technology migration. It is another mission workload moving from costly, constrained legacy infrastructure to secure, scalable, modern cloud operations. NOW THAT IS IT MODERNIZATION!”
Along with working at CMS, Newbold also was a member of the Technology Modernization Fund Board for three years, where he helped decide which projects to invest in.
“While leadership transitions are a natural part of any organization, our mission remains unchanged. The work we are doing to strengthen cybersecurity, modernize critical systems, responsibly advance AI, and deliver reliable technology services across CMS is too important to lose momentum,” Newbold wrote. “Over the next several weeks, I will remain fully engaged in our priorities, supporting our leadership team and ensuring that the progress we have made continues well beyond my tenure. I will have more to share with you as my departure approaches. For now, I simply want to express my appreciation for your professionalism, your dedication, and the trust you have placed in me.”
Copyright © 2026 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Jason Miller is executive editor of Federal News Network and directs news coverage on the people, policy and programs of the federal government.
Follow @jmillerWFED
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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!
Patrick Newbold, the chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is leaving federal service after seven years.
In an email to staff, obtained by Federal News Network, Newbold said his last day is Nov. 27. He didn’t say where he was going next.
“Serving as your CIO and director [of the Office of Information Technology] has been one of the great privileges of my career. Together, we have navigated complex challenges, strengthened our technology foundation, accelerated innovation and demonstrated what is possible when talented people come together around a shared mission,” Newbold wrote. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished and, more importantly, of the people who made it possible.”
Mark Plaugher, the director of the information systems group at CMS, will be the acting CIO until the agency hires a permanent one.
Join WTOP Nov. 17 for the Critical Infrastructure and Digital Trust webinar where experts will examine how government and industry can work together to modernize the grid and ensure the nation’s most critical operations have dependable power. Register today!
Plaugher, who has been with CMS for more than 15 years, started working in the CIO’s office on Nov. 2.
“Mark brings extensive CMS experience, a deep understanding of our mission, and a strong record of leadership. Having previously served in OIT and in senior leadership roles across CMS, he understands both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leading technology in an organization of this scale and importance,” Newbold wrote. “Mark has also been a valued partner in advancing our vision over the past two years. I look forward to partnering with him throughout this transition and ask that you extend to him the same support, collaboration, and commitment that you have shown me.”
CMS also recently brought over Brian Peltier, who was the deputy CIO and head of technology, customer data and AI at the Social Security Administration. Peltier is the deputy director of the Office of IT.
Additionally, Newbold promoted Shauntia Bell to be the director of CMS’s Enterprise Systems Solutions Group. Bell has been with CMS for 14 years, including spending the last seven years as the director of the Division of Enterprise Services.
Newbold, who joined CMS as its CIO in November 2024, also worked at NASA, the Social Security Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers as deputy CIO.
During his tenure at CMS, Newbold led several modernization efforts to improve the agency’s underlying infrastructure and apply artificial intelligence tools to mission areas, including preventing fraud. CMS launched the Office of Health Technology and Products in June to compliment the CIO’s office. OHTP is focused more on citizen services while the CIO’s office is charged with delivering the infrastructure and technology strategy.
Among his accomplishments include using the General Services Administration’s OneGov contract to modernize CMS’s cloud infrastructure through a contract with AWS.
Sign up for our daily newsletter so you never miss a beat on all things federal
“We needed to move a mission-critical contact center out of a legacy data center and into the cloud. GSA had negotiated the OneGov agreement. We did our due diligence, saw an opportunity to modernize while delivering better value, and moved forward. The result: 46% savings on that workload! But we did not stop with the initial agreement,” Newbold wrote on LinkedIn in August. “CMS now has 16 OneGov cloud agreements supporting 11 mission areas, from beneficiary customer relationship management and claims modernization to payment integrity. Each represents more than a technology migration. It is another mission workload moving from costly, constrained legacy infrastructure to secure, scalable, modern cloud operations. NOW THAT IS IT MODERNIZATION!”
Along with working at CMS, Newbold also was a member of the Technology Modernization Fund Board for three years, where he helped decide which projects to invest in.
“While leadership transitions are a natural part of any organization, our mission remains unchanged. The work we are doing to strengthen cybersecurity, modernize critical systems, responsibly advance AI, and deliver reliable technology services across CMS is too important to lose momentum,” Newbold wrote. “Over the next several weeks, I will remain fully engaged in our priorities, supporting our leadership team and ensuring that the progress we have made continues well beyond my tenure. I will have more to share with you as my departure approaches. For now, I simply want to express my appreciation for your professionalism, your dedication, and the trust you have placed in me.”
Copyright © 2026 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Jason Miller is executive editor of Federal News Network and directs news coverage on the people, policy and programs of the federal government.
Follow @jmillerWFED
Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.
Subscribe Now
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!
