Oliver Wise, the chief data officer (CDO) at the Commerce Department, announced that he is stepping down from that role. His last day on the job is Friday.
Wise has served as the CDO at the Commerce Department since March 2022. In this role, he led the department’s data strategy to support evidence-based policymaking through the implementation of the Evidence Act.
“Serving as Chief Data Officer has been the honor of a lifetime,” Wise wrote in an Aug. 28 LinkedIn post announcing his departure. “Few organizations have a mission as consequential as Commerce, and none can match the breadth of its data or the extraordinary talent of the social and natural scientists who steward, analyze, and share them.”
Wise chaired the Commerce Data Governance Board (CDGB), the department’s internal body responsible for coordinating data initiatives. During his tenure, he also oversaw the establishment of a new data working group that aims to prepare public data to be AI-ready.
In addition to his role as CDO, he served as the department’s acting under secretary for economic affairs since February 2024.
“I leave with deep gratitude and immense respect for the public servants across Commerce and the Federal Government who devote their careers to the national interest. They have my admiration and my thanks,” Wise said.
Wise did not indicate where he is headed next.
Before joining the Commerce Department, Wise served as the director of recovery solutions for Tyler Technologies.
Previously, he served as the founding director of the City of New Orleans Office of Performance and Accountability, the city’s first data analytics and performance management team. Before that, Wise held the post of policy director for the city.