Biden Nominates Alum Kurt DelBene to Department of Veterans Affairs

Kurt DelBene, who graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 1982, was recently nominated by President Joe Biden to the Department of Veterans Affairs. DelBene is nominee for the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The White House announced: 

"DelBene is a technology executive that spent the bulk of his career as a senior executive at Microsoft. He retired from Microsoft in September of 2021 as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Core Services Engineering and Operations, leading the company’s cross-engineering and cross-business strategy, execution, and planning initiatives. DelBene, previously president of the Microsoft Office Division, rejoined Microsoft in April 2015 after joining the Obama-Biden Administration to lead improvement work on Healthcare.gov, the enrollment website for the Affordable Care Act.

From December 2013 to July 2014, in his work on Healthcare.gov as senior advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, DelBene helped assess and implement the path through the first Open Enrollment period, including troubleshooting issues encountered along the way, and setting the project up for long-term success. Prior to joining Microsoft, DelBene was a management consultant with McKinsey and Company, focusing on business strategy for technology companies. He has also worked as a software developer and systems engineer for AT&T Bell Laboratories, working in graphics and imaging software and network switching systems."

DelBene was the College of Engineering's 2015 Alumnus of the Year and part of the 2018 industry speaker series.