Katie Savage is a visionary leader in IT who has led successful teams in the federal, local, and nonprofit sectors. Secretary Savage became a technologist as a means to serve the community. She first earned a Master’s degree in City Planning after serving two years in the United States Peace Corps in order to learn human-centered and participatory design. She then used that experience to develop data and applications for the City of Chicago and then the Department of Defense.

Savage is most proud of helping lead the DOD’s COVID-19 response, including the development of a mobile tracking application used by 200 thousand personnel and cybersecurity measures to ensure safe vaccine manufacturing and delivery as part of Operation Warp Speed. She also developed a digital employment verification tool on behalf of the State Department and the DOD to expedite visa applications for 100 thousand Afghan refugees and families applying for U.S. asylum following our withdrawal.

She was recognized in 2021 as Tech Champion of the Year and in 2022 as Best Boss in Federal IT by FedScoop, and in 2022 for Government Leadership by CyberScoop. Savage has a Master’s degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from American University.