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| 20 Apr 2026 | |
| Written by Belen Darris | |
| Blogs |
Written by Belén Darris
The Data Foundation’s sixth annual Federal Chief Data Officer (CDO) Survey, conducted in collaboration with Deloitte, shows how the CDO role has evolved amid a year of transition, with a new administration, government-wide workforce reductions, and an expanding intersection with artificial intelligence.
To explore the findings, the Data Foundation and Deloitte co-hosted a webinar with Marseta Dill, Acting Chief Data Officer at the Federal Aviation Administration, and Adita Karkera, Chief Data Officer for Deloitte Consulting LLP's Government & Public Services.
Despite disruptions and new capacity constraints in 2025, CDOs reported greater mission success than ever before. But the survey also highlights real concerns: shrinking teams, declining external engagement, and a need for greater clarity on where CDO responsibilities end and those of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers (CAIOs) begin.
The 2025 CDO Survey results illustrate a function that continues to mature even under significant pressure. In 2025, 61% of CDOs reported being "very" or "completely" successful in achieving their mission, up from 43% in 2024 and 37% in 2023. This upward trend is all the more notable given the operational environment CDOs navigated in the past year.
"Part of the reason why CDOs are experiencing success is that they're very, very intentional about their approaches around achieving those goals," said Dill. "A big part of what we do is not just about the technology and working with data, a huge aspect is around community building and really setting the tone for how we want to engage with data stewards and data custodians."
Yet capacity loss is a real concern. More than half (57%) of CDOs now report having five or fewer full-time equivalents, compared to 40% in 2024, and one third report no contractor support at all, up from 16% the prior year. Some CDOs have raised concerns about their ability to meet statutory requirements, and reduced capacity may contribute to decreased private-sector collaboration (57% reporting at least monthly down from 72% in 2024), and engagement with the general public (from 40% to 29% over the same period).
The administration’s prioritization of AI in 2025 amplified existing efforts and raised the visibility of data leadership across government. Nearly all CDOs (96%) collaborate with AI leadership at least monthly, with 70% doing so weekly—more frequently than with any other C-suite partner. That commitment shows up in how CDOs are setting priorities: preparing data to implement and advance new technologies like AI, which climbed into the top three mission priorities in 2025, cited by 39% of CDOs. The depth of that partnership is evident in the governance space as well—64% of CDOs report being "very" or "completely" involved in setting data governance policies for AI, a sign that collaboration is not just frequent but substantive. Karkera captured why that matters: "Data trust drives model trust. If these AI officials are not already collaborating with their data leaders, there is a gap they're going to hit at one point of their journey or another."
Yet frequent collaboration alone is not enough as CDO, CIO, and CAIO responsibilities increasingly converge, questions of role clarity persist. While 87% of CDOs find their responsibilities at least "somewhat" clear, 39% are still calling for guidance from OMB on their responsibilities and authorities. Rather than seeking government-wide policy clarity, CDOs in 2025 want organization-specific support: AI-specific guidance tailored to their agency (52%) and direction from their own leadership (48%).
The survey also points to untapped potential in collaboration: more than one-third (39%) of CDOs reported no collaboration with Statistical Officials or Evaluation Officers, roles created by the same legislation that established the CDO. "CDOs are kind of like the center, the glue that brings the rest of the C-level executives together," said Karkera. "I would hope that agencies and agency officials can come together stronger so that they can not only better integrate the Evidence Act roles, but also just strengthen what is possible to do with data." Realizing that potential will depend on the structures and communities that support CDOs, none more so than the Federal CDO Council.
One of the key insights of the 2025 survey is that the Federal CDO Council has become an increasingly valuable resource for data leaders across government. More than half (57%) of CDOs found the Council's resources, guidance, and support "very" or "completely" helpful, up from 47% in 2024 and just 19% in 2023.
Both panelists pointed to the Council's convening and knowledge-sharing function as the driver of that growth. "Never underestimate the value of community building," said Dill. "Every time I'm in a forum with other CDOs, we're all, to some extent, trying to tackle the same issues and the same opportunities." Karkera described what CDOs are looking for: not more government-wide policy, but a trusted community where they can share templates, accelerators, and practical lessons. "If something works for one CDO, how can they share that and let somebody else repurpose it? The CDO Council fills that need so that CDOs don't have to reinvent the wheel every time." Given this growing value, the Council's institutional stability matters more than ever.
When panelists looked ahead, three themes emerged consistently: sustained capacity, clear authority, and role clarity across the C-suite.
"There's only so much you can do with a 'more with less' mindset," said Karkera. CDOs need sufficient investment in both people and data infrastructure to keep pace with growing mandates. They also need genuine authority, not just advisory standing, to enforce data standards and make data governance actionable across their organizations. As data and AI leadership continue to converge, clearer alignment among CDO, CAIO, and CIO roles will be essential to avoid duplication and ensure accountability.
The foundation that CDOs have built over six years of Evidence Act implementation is real. What comes next depends on whether the rest of the government meets them with the support they need to build on it.
Watch a full recording of the webinar discussing the Federal CDO Survey findings. For more detailed findings and recommendations, the complete survey report is available through the Data Foundation’s website.
