Caroline Kuharske currently serves as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), a combat support agency under the U.S. Department of Defense headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Her leadership role focuses on cultivating a culture that embraces a robust, programmatic approach to data management across the agency's enterprise. She is responsible for identifying, prioritizing, and executing data and analytic initiatives that align with DISA’s enterprise strategies and key business outcomes.
Kuharske’s appointment is especially significant as she is DISA’s first-ever Chief Data Officer, establishing and leading the agency’s newly formed Office of the Chief Data Officer within the Enterprise Integration and Innovation Center. Previously, she held the position of Deputy Chief Data Officer at DISA, where she spearheaded efforts to leverage data as a strategic asset for actionable decision-making among senior leaders and managers. Her tenure in this role helped prepare the agency for enterprise-wide data unification and modernization.
Under Kuharske’s leadership, DISA has articulated and is implementing a comprehensive new two-year data strategy, covering fiscal years 2025 to 2027. This strategy emphasizes three primary pillars:
- Strengthening data architecture and governance frameworks to ensure clarity, consistency, and security around data assets.
- Integrating advanced analytics, including artificial intelligence (AI), into operations to enhance cybersecurity and support real-time, informed decision-making.
- Cultivating a data-centric culture to align workforce behavior and organizational processes with enterprise data goals.
She has publicly described this strategy as a pivotal moment in DISA’s data evolution, framing data as a foundational element in transforming how the U.S. military operates and strengthens cybersecurity capabilities.
Kuharske’s professional background prior to becoming CDO includes multiple strategic roles within DISA. She has served as a senior strategic planner in the Operations Center Service Directorate, where she provided leadership guidance to align operational goals with broader organizational priorities. Her work has consistently focused on driving cross-functional change and acting as an authoritative source of data-driven insights across the agency’s directorates.
Academically, Kuharske earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management and human resources, concentrating on behavioral science approaches to leadership, awarded in 2014. Additionally, she completed a Chief Data Officer certificate program at the National Defense University, which complements her federal government experience with specialized training in data leadership.
Kuharske is recognized as a senior data leader within the federal government, frequently participating as a speaker and panelist in industry conferences and government-focused webinars, such as those hosted by AFCEA International and other federal IT forums. Her public engagements emphasize the establishment of the Chief Data Office, the rollout of DISA’s data strategies, and the agency's trajectory toward data-centric enterprise transformation.
In summary, Caroline Kuharske brings nearly two decades of federal service experience with a clear mandate at DISA to unify and modernize data practices. Her role is centered on embedding data as a core asset to enhance mission effectiveness, cybersecurity, and advanced analytic capability within the Department of Defense’s critical communications and IT infrastructure agency.
