Simon Szykman

Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer
Federal Services
Attain

An experienced senior executive with a strong information technology background, Simon Szykman is Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer for Federal Services at Attain where he is responsible for leading the firm’s strategic corporate alliances and associated go-to-market strategies.

Prior to joining Attain, Simon served over four years as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Department of Commerce, where he was responsible for providing leadership, establishing policy, and maintaining oversight for the information technology investments that support the diverse portfolio of programs across the Commerce Department’s dozen bureaus. His stint as Commerce CIO followed an earlier CIO position, having served over three years as the CIO of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Before his CIO roles, Simon served as the Director of the National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD), where he was responsible for the coordination of planning, budget, and assessment activities for the Federal NITRD Program. In this role, he reported directly to the National Science and Technology Council and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) – where he also worked temporarily as a Senior Policy Analyst, focusing on technology-related issues including cyber security and high-end computing.

Simon has also worked at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the Department’s first Director of Cyber Security R&D. There he led the development of cyber security R&D plans, programs, and budgets in support of the Department’s mission, as well as the development of the Government’s first interagency Federal Plan for Cyber Security R&D.

Simon holds Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Engineering Management degree from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rochester.