Traci Walker named Executive Director for the Digital Services Coalition
The Digital Services Coalition announces today that Traci Walker will assume the responsibilities as its first Executive Director of the nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the government’s ability to implement services that focus on good usability, reliable technology, and accessibility for all. Walker is a digital service expert, acquisition guru, and bureaucracy hacker extraordinaire. She most recently served as the Director of Digital Service Procurement at the United States Digital Service from its inception in 2014 through today.
“Traci is a mission-driven leader who excels in advocating for modern digital services that improve the performance, reach, and customer experience of government,” said Dan Levenson, DSC President and Board Chair. “The DSC Board is thrilled to have Traci join the DSC in this capacity and know that the organization will greatly benefit from her skills and expertise as we enter a new era of Digital Government.”
Prior to USDS, she worked in assisted acquisition and GSA’s Federal Acquisition Services Chief Information Office from 2000–2008. Following her time at GSA, she was hired as a Senior Contracting Officer for the Office of Administration at the Executive Office of the President (the White House). It was in this role that she began her journey into understanding modern technology methods and was pivotal in putting in place the contract for WhiteHouse.gov. This introduced open source, platform-as-a-service, cloud, and agile delivery services into a government environment when there was virtually no guidance or agencies modeling how to acquire these. Based on the techniques she created to support the acquisition of these new types of services, Walker was instrumental in helping the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) author the TechFAR Handbook, which was released along with the Digital Service Playbook. The handbook provides agencies with guidance and skills when acquiring agile development services.
While at USDS, Walker made it her mission to improve the tools, processes, and workforce that exist around the acquisition of technology. For example, in her efforts to upskill the acquisition workforce to give them both the technical skills and market intelligence to support complex modernization requirements, she partnered with OFPP and created the Digital IT Acquisition Training (DITAP) & Development program. To date there are roughly 400 contracting professionals that hold the FAC-C-DS Certificate and are the leaders and champions of buying modern technology and digital services.
As executive director, Walker will work closely with the board and members of the Coalition to establish a strategic plan, increase the diversity and breadth of membership, expand the opportunities for partnership with the DSC, and continue to disrupt the barriers that limit the ability for the government to deliver amazing digital experiences.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the DSC. I am ready to lead this organization in leveraging its unique ability to deliver high-quality, civic focused technology solutions. I believe in the potential of the members’ ability to support government transformation at all levels to deliver solutions for the needs of the public, and I plan to create an organization that backs those efforts” Walker said.
About the DSC
Formed in 2018 as a 501(c)6 organization, the Digital Services Coalition currently represents 21 agile technology and design firms that are focused on bringing digital transformation to the public sector.
