Richard Kendall named as chief information officer for Los Alamos National Laboratory

Contact: Steve Sandoval, steves@lanl.gov, (505) 665-9206 (00-139)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Oct. 23, 2000 -- Richard Kendall has been named as the first chief information officer at the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory.

In his new job, Kendall will develop, promote and help direct an integrated vision for information management across the Laboratory.

Information management includes the business practices surrounding the use of information to achieve the goals of the enterprise, the infrastructure that delivers the information and the oversight of the mechanisms that safeguard its integrity and security, according to Kendall.

"Information management is a vital component of Los Alamos’ continued world-class scientific research and development efforts," said Bill Press, deputy director for science, technology and programs. "Richard will help define and implement a strategic vision for information management for the Laboratory."

Added Laboratory Director John Browne, "Because the world today is increasingly fast paced and information driven, it's important we have someone who can chart our institutional course for implementing appropriate, cutting-edge information technologies and systems. I have great confidence Richard will provide the guidance and vision we need to create an information management program that helps us achieve our mission goals, lets us flourish scientifically within an architecture that meets our stringent security requirements and improves our operations and business practices."

Though some of the functions of CIO have been performed informally, the appointment to the Director’s Office of this full-time position acknowledges the importance of the position for the Laboratory, said Kendall, who has been at Los Alamos since 1995.

Placing the chief information officer in the Director’s Office reporting to Press also will ensure responsiveness both to the senior executive team and the line organizations, Kendall noted, adding that in appointing a CIO position, the Lab is following a government-wide trend.

"One of the initial goals of the office will be to work with the senior management to help formulate the proper organizational setting for the chief information officer that will help ensure that information is managed as an enterprise asset," said Kendall. "The Laboratory’s business and security divisions, for example, each have responsibility for information management. But the CIO will provide a global view to ensure information resources are used with greatest effectiveness in fulfilling the Laboratory’s mission and operations."

Kendall joined Los Alamos’ Geoanalysis Group in 1995. In 1996, he became director of Los Alamos’ Virtual Laboratory Testbed for Industry, which provides industry access to the Laboratory’s computing environment.

Since 1999 Kendall has been program manager for technical cyber security in Los Alamos’ former Computing, Information and Communications Division, directing the technical implementation of Los Alamos’ cyber security enhancements mandated by the Laboratory, the DOE and Congress.

Kendall earned a bachelor’s degree in math from the University of Texas at Austin in 1963; and master’s degrees, also in math, from UT-Austin in 1964 and Rice University in 1970. Kendall’s doctoral degree in math also was from Rice University in 1973.

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