The Challenges of Modernizing Federal Agencies With Don Bauer of the State Department

Don Bauer has been pushing offices in the federal government forward in their software since the turn of the century. 

“I was one of the co-founders of Quick Hire, which was one of the first commercially available staffing products for the federal government. Back in ’99, 2000, we were doing software as a service before it was a thing,” Don says. 

After years of building programs for the National Park Service, NASA, the United States Digital Service and more, he now serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Bureau of Global Talent Management at the U.S. Department of State, working at the intersection of HR and IT. 

In this episode of Government Enabled, host Linda Sue Kirschner talks to Don about his role in the State Department, the challenges he has faced in recent years and how he’s managed to get the department to modernize. 

It hasn’t always been easy given the security protocols and budget restrictions of federal agencies, but he’s made it his mission to transition the office to smooth, easy-to-use systems for HR management.  

“Our mission is making our software as easy to use and as reliable as possible because when you're in the field, it's not your primary mission and you don't need to be distracted by it,” he says.