Douglas Ament Appointed Chief Information Officer
Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante has appointed Douglas Ament to the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO), United States Copyright Office, effective March 2014. Ament will serve as the Register’s top advisor on information technology initiatives and will be principally responsible for developing technology strategies related to upgrading and recalibrating Copyright Office services over the next several years. He will work closely with other members of senior management, including Rob Kasunic, head of registration policy and practices; David Christopher, head of operations; and Elizabeth Scheffler, head of the newly created office of public records and repositories.
“Doug has a wonderful mix of technical expertise and business acumen,” said Pallante, “and we will make great use of his skill set. He will be a key player in migrating the Copyright Office to a new generation of services for the benefit of both authors and users of copyrighted works”
Among AmentÂs duties will be managing and improving the Copyright Office IT enterprise, including strategic planning efforts, digital security initiatives, policy development, and operational and maintenance activities, as well as all research and development of new technologies that support the business processes and mission of the Copyright Office.
"It’s an honor and privilege to serve as the first CIO for the U.S. Copyright Office, said Ament. “I am excited by the tremendous opportunity to address the digital challenges facing the U.S. Copyright Office and to build a world-class IT presence that successfully navigates the copyright technology landscape of the 21st century.”
Ament assumes the position after serving as the Director of Information Technology for the Copyright Office since April 2009 and Chief of the Copyright Technology Office since July 2008. He led a major technical upgrade analysis for the Copyright Office as part of the Register’s 2011–2013 special projects, in which stakeholders from across the copyright spectrum offered recommendations and information about possible future strategies. Prior to joining the Copyright Office, he served in the Library of Congress Information Technology Services directorate, and before that as a federal IT consultant for more than 20 years supporting clients, including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Postal Service Headquarters, and the U.S. Navy.
Ament holds a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Nyack College and Seminary in Nyack, New York. He also earned Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute and completed graduate studies in Project Management at George Washington University and in Management Information Systems at the University of Maryland.