Mahnaz Dean

Dr. Mahnaz Dean serves as the Deputy Chief Data Officer (CDO) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), after serving as the Acting CDO since Dec. 2023.

Before her data leadership roles at HHS, she transformed the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) 24×7 operation organization within the Center for Information Technology (CIT). She also previously served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), where she was responsible for all of functions and services delivered by COO team, collaborating with the HHS Executive Secretariat and the HHS Office of Legislative Affairs, Human Resources, Workforce Management, Employee Development.

In the Department of Commerce, Dr. Dean served as the Telecommunication Operation Branch Chief for the National Weather Service within NOAA, where she was instrumental in managing security, data delivery, and operations for national and international weather services. Previously, at Freddie Mac, she was the Senior Director of Information Security and oversaw operational and technical IT security support, along with strategic initiatives to enhance operations.

Dr. Dean’s expertise also extends to the private sector, where she held executive roles at IBM Global Services including Partner, Information Security Lead and COO of Public Sector, Operation, Strategy and Marketing. Her early career included serving the Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief Information Officer, where she spearheaded Y2K preparation efforts. She also served as a Mechanical Engineer and Life Cycle Manager for NAVSEA.

Dr. Dean received the Secretary of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion Medal. She holds a Master of Engineering in Robotics and Computer Vision from Cornell University, and a PhD in Public Policy and Information Technology from the University of Southern California.