CDOs say close collaboration with CIOs also helps IT project prioritization, lends authority, and supports budget allocation
Federal chief data officers (CDOs) faced a wave of changes in recent years, according to a survey of chief data officers, by Deloitte and the Data Foundation:
“The CDO community navigated a year of unprecedented change, including a new administration, unexpected workforce reductions, and evolving AI priorities, while continuing to mature as a function across the federal government.”
One of the most significant changes was to their reporting structure as nearly a quarter (24%) got a new boss last year. More than half of CDOs (52%) say they now report to the chief information officer (CIO), which is up substantially from 36% in 2024 and 33% in 2023.
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Complementary working relationships
The CDO reporting structure has been a sore spot for a while. The same survey in 2023 and 2024 found 56% and 44% of CDOs, respectively, found their reporting structure “challenging.” However, that sentiment has shifted considerably, down to just 18% in 2025, as more and more CDOs report to CIOs.
More importantly, the working relationship between CIOs and CDOs has also improved markedly. More than seven in 10 (71%) of CDOs indicated their relationship with the CIO is either very or completely complementary – up from 52% in the same survey the year prior.
“When asked to elaborate, CDOs noted that close collaboration with CIOs supports prioritization, authority, and budget allocation,” according to the report. “For example, one CDO described the benefit as allowing to “change culture to be more data centric,” where data is considered before decisions on technology are made.”
That cultural shift is also a practical prerequisite. Standardizing data across agencies is the groundwork that lets AI and other workflow tools deliver real efficiency gains, and that work sits squarely at the CDO-CIO intersection.
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