Tom Cochran

Tom Cochran joins Acquia to help governments across the federal, state, and local sectors leverage cloud and open source to accelerate their digital initiatives. He was most recently a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of State, where he was responsible for the online and offline platforms for U.S. public diplomacy, focusing on data-driven decisions and international audience engagement.

Prior to that, Cochran was the director of digital technology at the White House, where he worked on the President's Open Government Directive, leading the team that was responsible for providing a secure, stable, and scalable infrastructure across all White House digital properties.

His team was responsible for leading the delivery of the “We the People” online petitioning site that connects people directly with the Executive branch. Cochran has also held leadership roles in the private sector, most recently as the chief technology officer at Atlantic Media, publisher of international news outlets including: The Atlantic, Quartz, Government Executive and National Journal.

“I had the good fortune of working in the Obama administration twice, once at the White House and once at the Department of State. Both times solidified my view that public service is a higher calling and an important line of work. As the administration was coming to an end, I wanted to find a role that allowed me to maintain alignment with the public sector and continue helping make government better,” he said. “Instead of owning a single series of problems at the White House or the State Department, I now have the ability to help tackle digital transformation efforts anywhere and everywhere. It really is an incredible opportunity to power government transformation efforts using open source technology.”

On a personal note, Cochran said Acquia’s commitment to work-life balance allowed him to be there when his loved ones needed him most.

“I had a serious family emergency come up just a few months into my new role. The company really emphasizes a family-first mentality and not having to stress about disappearing for a week to take care of things is incredibly valuable and a powerful message to employees,” he said.