Christopher Alvares

Christopher Alvares serves as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where is responsible for developing strategies that enable USDA to fully leverage its data as a strategic asset, improving organizational decision-making and outcomes for citizens. He is also a member of the Federal CDO Council, working with other CDOs to improve the use of data across government.

In 2018, he served as a Special Advisor to the General Services Administration (GSA) Center of Excellence (CoE), leading a team to modernize data analytics at USDA. Alvares began Federal service in 2008 as a data analyst for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). He moved into leadership roles as Branch Chief and then Director of the Data Analytics and Integration Group in FSIS. He started his career in the private sector, leading a data analytics staff providing genomic analytics services to other biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients.

Alvares earned his B.S. degree and a master’s degree, both from Johns Hopkins University. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society program.