Jim Gwinn is the Chief Information Officer for USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA). Gwinn is responsible for managing the information technology organization and leading FSA's Information Technology modernization initiatives focused on updating the agency's legacy technology and operations infrastructure.

Prior to his appointment to FSA in 2008, Gwinn was an accomplished IT executive with over 24 years of private sector management and C-Level experience. He possesses an extensive strategic leadership background after leading large, highly complex, and globally diverse system development and technology support organizations for Fortune 50 companies throughout his career. Gwinn served in a variety of executive management roles until his retirement in early 2008 from Verizon Business following more than 20 years with the company and its predecessors.

For Verizon, Gwinn most recently served as Vice President, Information Technology - Network Systems, and was responsible for the development and support of more than 200 software applications and more than 1,400 information technology professionals across the U.S., Europe and Asia supporting Verizon's Global Business network systems.

Gwinn has also led many global technology transformation and restructure initiatives and has an extensive background managing in a highly legal and regulatory environment. He brings extensive executive leadership and oversight experience to FSA, possesses a strong financial and budgetary management track record. He has led cutting-edge technology organizations throughout his career in telecommunications. Gwinn is a seasoned negotiator with proven vendor management and Merger and Acquisition (M&A) experience from his years in private industry.

In addition to his tenure at Verizon, Gwinn also served as Vice President of Information Technologies for MCI and for WorldCom, and was appointed to the role of Chief Information Officer (acting) for MCI-WorldCom during the company's bankruptcy. During this period, he successfully led an IT organization of more than 4,000 through exit bankruptcy and the subsequent re-emergence as a leading innovator for telecommunications. Gwinn has also served as the Business Information Officer for MCI, Vice President of General Business Systems, Vice President of Operations, Senior Director of Information Technologies and Director of Operations. He has led development of some of the telecommunications industry's leading technology systems supporting fraud and security, electronic commerce, and network management.

Gwinn holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in management with an MBA from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. He resides in Tennessee with his wife Nancy and daughter Erin, and his son Brandon lives in New York. Gwinn commutes weekly to Washington, D.C.