The Internal Revenue Service’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Prem Uppal, is leaving the tax agency this month. Uppal informed IT staff of his resignation in an email on Monday. His last official day will be April 28.
In the email, Uppal expressed pride in his tenure at the IRS. He emphasized the progress made in modernizing the agency’s IT infrastructure and navigating change. Uppal previously led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Office of Information Technology.
He also served as a digital services expert with the U.S. Digital Service. The Treasury Department confirmed that the IRS Chief Technology Officer will assume the role of acting CIO. This will be the case while a permanent replacement is being considered.
“Secretary Scott Bessent is committed to ensuring efficiency while providing the collections, privacy, and customer service that American taxpayers deserve,” a Treasury spokesperson stated. Uppal’s tenure witnessed significant changes and challenges. This included facing near-constant organizational upheavals since the start of Trump’s second term in office.
In recent months, the IRS has seen budget cuts and departmental eliminations. This included the dismantling of its Transformation and Strategy Office. The administration has reclassified CIO positions across federal agencies.
Prem Uppal departs the IRS
They are transitioning them from “career reserved” to “general” employees. This makes them more susceptible to political shifts.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) argues that such a move is necessary. This is due to the increasingly policy-driven nature of these roles, which include areas like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Former federal CIOs have expressed mixed reactions to this reclassification.
They note potential benefits in talent acquisition but also raise concerns over increased politicization. Prior to his federal service, Uppal held various executive roles in the private sector. This included positions at IBM, Revionics, and Retail Optimization.
Former IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel praised Uppal’s expertise and his contributions to the agency. He noted this was especially important during a period of strategic IT advancements funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. This news follows the recent resignations of acting deputy CIOs Darnita Trower and Eric Markow.
They are also departing for roles in the private sector. Trower announced on LinkedIn that she will be leaving the federal government in May. The story was first reported by Nextgov.
Further details were provided by Treasury Department communications.
