Obama names chief technology officer

President Barack Obama named Aneesh Chopra, currently the secretary of technology to Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, to be the nation's first chief technology officer.

"In this role, Aneesh will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities — from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure," Obama said in making the appointment.

Virginia officials praised Chopra for his role in making state government more efficient, promoting rural broadband, and using technology to improve health care and education.

Before his work in Virginia, Chopra was a managing director with the Advisory Board Company, a publicly traded health care research group that specializes in best practices, business strategy and management. Chopra holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University"s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

As chief technology officer, Chopra will be an adviser to the president. But he will also be named associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and that position requires Senate confirmation, according to the White House press office. So until the confirmation process is complete, we rate this promise In the Works.