Katie Savage
Katie Savage, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Information Technology, is a visionary leader in IT who has guided successful teams in the federal, local, and nonprofit sectors.
Secretary Savage originally became a technologist to serve the public. She first earned a Master’s degree in City Planning after serving two years in the United States Peace Corps to learn human-centered and participatory design. She then used that experience to develop data and applications for the City of Chicago and, later, the Department of Defense (DOD).
Savage is most proud of her work as part of the DOD’s COVID-19 response, including leading the DOD’s development of a mobile tracking application used by 200 thousand personnel and coordinating cybersecurity measures that ensured the safe manufacturing and delivery of vaccines as part of Operation Warp Speed. She also developed a digital employment verification tool for the State Department and the DOD to expedite visa applications for 100 thousand Afghan refugees and families applying for U.S. asylum following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.
She was recognized by FedScoop in 2021 as Tech Champion of the Year and in 2022 as Best Boss in Federal IT. In 2022, CyberScoop recognized her for Government Leadership. Savage has a Master’s degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from American University.
“All of our teams do incredible work: from the Office of Security Management, which has greatly expanded the capacity of the State’s security operations center, to our new Digital Experience Office, home to the state’s first-ever team of web engineers, product managers, designers, to our many, many teams that provide critical services to the State, including platform services, IT infrastructure, and much more. I’m incredibly proud of how our team is effectively managing resources and bringing digital equity to the residents of Maryland.”
Please note: While Secretary Savage is on maternity leave, Melissa Leaman is serving as acting Secretary of DoIT.