H. Rich Holgate, PhD, Assistant Director for Science & Technology / Chief Information Officer Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives U.S. Department of Justice

H. Richard Holgate was appointed as Assistant Director for Science & Technology and Chief Information Officer on August 3, 2009. In that role, he is responsible for strategy, planning, management, and delivery of ATF’s information technology (IT) and forensic services. He oversees all aspects of IT services, systems, and security for ATF’s 7,500 users. Within the forensic services portfolio, he leads ATF’s financial investigative services; oversees ATF’s three forensic science laboratories and its fire research laboratory; and manages ATF’s ballistic imaging technology program. He is also responsible for formulating and executing an overall technology strategy in support of ATF’s mission.

In 2004, Dr. Holgate was appointed to be the Assistant Director for Information Technology and Command Information Officer at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and in 2007, he was promoted to Executive Assistant Director. In that capacity, he was responsible for: delivery of IT services to NCIS's 2,400+ employees worldwide; transition of NCIS to the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI); management of NCIS' application portfolio; and IT strategy and planning.

Prior to joining NCIS, Dr. Holgate was employed as a Senior Manager with BearingPoint, Inc., where he fulfilled a variety of responsibilities including all aspects of project management, team management, and business development. His clients included many organizations across the Department of Defense.

Prior to his work at BearingPoint, Dr. Holgate worked at the MITRE Corporation, where he supported the Air Force, Army, and intelligence community on issues related to, respectively: base realignment and closure and environmental restoration; chemical weapons demilitarization; and arms control verification.

Dr. Holgate has been a certified Project Management Professional and is a member of the Project Management Institute, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the National Defense Industrial Association, the Navy League, the Naval Institute, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the American Chemical Society, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Dr. Holgate's educational background includes degrees in chemical engineering from Princeton University (BSE) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS and PhD)