Renee Wynn

CIO, NASA

Renee Wynn joined NASA as CIO in September 2015, managing and modernizing the space agency’s IT systems. With more than 30 years of IT experience and nearly a decade as a federal CIO, Wynn says her role as a leader and developer of engaged and empowered workforce is one of her most important. “A truly great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but where they ought to be,” she said. “Accept the fact that meaningful, positive change takes time.” She pointed to mentoring, in particular, as very important to growing IT talent. “No matter where you are in your career, you don’t need to go it alone,” she said.