Bio

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2020

Karen Britton, former White House chief information officer (CIO) and special assistant to President Barack Obama, leads strategy development and execution of LMI's corporate communications with a focus on its digital presence. She oversees a team responsible for online platforms, marketing and branding, external relations, and corporate citizenship.  

Previously serving as LMI’s vice president of digital services, Karen directed the delivery of enterprise-wide IT solutions to federal customers. Before joining LMI, she served as chief operating officer of woman-owned IT solutions provider e‑Management and helped expand its federal market practice.  

Karen joined the Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President, as deputy CIO in July 2009; she served as special assistant to the president and CIO from December 2012 to December 2014. During her White House tenure, she spearheaded innovative ways to deliver the president’s message to the American people. She also supported his cybersecurity agenda, protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of unclassified information systems.

Beginning her career as a general engineer with the Submarine Maintenance Engineering, Planning, and Procurement Activity at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Karen subsequently joined the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters. She held positions of increasing responsibility, culminating as deputy command information officer directing command-wide IT planning, policy, and budget. She left the Department of the Navy in 2007 to support capital planning implementation and enterprise architecture plan development for the Department of Energy.

Karen received her bachelor’s in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her master’s in management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College and the Excellence in Government Fellows Program. Karen has received distinguished honors, including the Partnership for Public Service Leadership in Action Awards, the National Women of Color in Technology Awards, and the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

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