Contact: Janet H. Sledge (202) 720-2065 
                                          janet.sledge@usda.gov

HOBBS RECEIVES AWARD AS A TOP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATOR

     Washington, DC, July 29, 2000 - Ira L. Hobbs, Deputy Chief Information
Officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture was named recently by the
Federal Computer Week magazine as one of their year 2000 Federal 100 honorees
for outstanding and distinguished innovations in information technology. 
According to the weekly magazine, Hobbs was honored "for his work
on the CIO Education and Training Committee, which has worked with the Office
of Personnel Management to rework the classification system for the government
Information Technology work force."  Hobbs is a leading spokesperson on
government's Information Technology
recruitment and retention issues.  

     As Deputy CIO since June 1997, Hobbs shares responsibility for the
overall management of USDA's Information Resources Management and Information
Technology assets.  He directs and co-manages a staff of 260 IRM professionals
and oversees some $1.3 billion in USDA information technology assets.  He
brings to the job a strong background in IRM as well as administrative
management.  Given the ever-increasing emphasis and reliance on technology in
all aspects of the work place, Mr. Hobbs is helping the Office of the Chief
Information Officer move forward with a new vision of the way we do our work. 

     Mr. Hobbs' professional memberships include the President's Committee for
Purchasing from the Blind and Severely Disabled; the USDA Graduate School
Board of Directors; the American Society for Public Administration; and the
Conference of Minority Public Administrators.  He is also Co-Chair of the CIO
Council IT Workforce Challenge Committee and Vice President of the Association
for Federal Information Resources Management. 

     Prior to accepting the position as USDA's Deputy CIO, Mr. Hobbs was the
Director of the Office of Operations, USDA, from 1994 to 1997.  He had overall
responsibility for management of the four building complex at the Washington,
D.C. headquarters, directed the departmental procurement program, and was
responsible for USDA's National Information Technology Center.  From 1989 to
1994, Mr. Hobbs was the Director of the Information Systems and Communications
Division of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.  He began his
career with USDA as a Presidential Management Intern in 1978.  Hobbs received
USDA's Honor Award for Superior Service in 1996 and 1985. 

     A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Hobbs received a B.A. degree in
political science from Florida A&M University in 1976.  He earned a master of
public administration degree from Florida State University in 1977.  During
that same year he received the Odell Waldby Outstanding Graduate Student of
Public Administration Award.  Hobbs served a three-year tour of duty in the
United States Army.

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