National Archives and Records Administration Chief Information Officer Swarnali Haldar sat down with Women of Washington hosts Aileen Black and Gigi Schumm to discuss her work on the large movement to digitize government records.

“It’s a lot of challenges, it’s a lot of opportunities,” said Haldar on how the National Archives is working to meet the 2016 and 2019 mandates to manage all temporary and permanent records in an electronic format. These mandates affect not just the National Archives, but all federal agencies.

“We are changing our governance and how we partner with our stakeholders, so we’re doing a lot of exciting things,” Haldar said of the effort. “I’ve had huge support from my senior leadership in building, reorganizing, and realigning the IT organization.”

Haldar also shared lessons that she’s learned on her journey toward CIO of the National Archives. “I think you have to find the right moment, but if you have something to say, you need to be confident enough to say it and make a difference,” she said.

She gave advice to others who work in government IT. “Be accountable to what you commit to and deliver. I think the government tends to have a laissez-faire attitude,” she said. “I think that’s where I make a difference. If I commit to something for my stakeholders, I make sure [I] deliver.”

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