The Internal Revenue Service has announced that Rajiv Uppal has been selected to be the next chief information officer and assist with the tax agency’s transformation work.
Uppal currently serves as the Director of the Office of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He brings more than 25 years of information technology expertise to the IRS from both the public and private sectors.
“This is a historic time for the IRS as our transformation efforts continue accelerating, and Rajiv brings a strong background to help our agency continue to modernize and work to provide better technology to support taxpayer service and tax enforcement,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “Rajiv’s expertise inside the government, coupled with his work in the private sector, provides a unique skill set that will complement our strong Information Technology team at the IRS. His background and skills will help the agency continue advancing in the IT arena during this critical period as we continue using Inflation Reduction Act funding to help taxpayers and the nation.”
Uppal will join the IRS in early 2024.
At CMS, Uppal has worked a variety of areas that are a priority for the IRS. His work there for more than five years includes all areas of information technology, including security and privacy, enterprise architecture and IT investment planning. He has experience in enterprise software as well as managing large, complex IT programs and directing IT strategic planning. Prior to joining CMS, Rajiv served for more than two years as part of the U.S. Digital Service team at the Department of Homeland Security, working on a variety of transformation initiatives.
Uppal also worked for decades in the private sector in roles ranging from product development to software development. His portfolio included working with venture capital firms, government entities and Fortune 500 companies.
He holds a master’s degree in Systems Science from Louisiana State University and a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.