Indian-origin technology leader Mangala Kuppa was recently appointed as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the US Department of Labour in March 2026. The appointment formalised her role in the position as she had been serving in an acting capacity since October 2025.
Previously, Kuppa had been serving as the Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Officer at the department and had been working there since 2021. In her new role, she will continue to oversee information technology strategy, digital transformation and AI adoption across the agency.
She announced the news of her appointment in a LinkedIn post, writing, "New chapter as CIO! Grateful for the opportunity to keep serving and making a difference."
Who is Mangala Kuppa?
Kuppa, an Indian-origin American has experience of 25 years in both public and private sectors. Before joining the Department of Labour as a Director of Case Management, she had worked at the Bureau of Labour Statistics for ten years since 2013. She joined as a project manager at the Division of Federal-State Monthly Surveys and went on to become Acting Director of the Directorate of Survey Processing.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she began her professional career in 1995, working in several positions in the private sector till 2010, before venturing into public sector roles.
In terms of her education, Kuppa pursued her Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Andhra University in India. Then, she went on to pursue a Master's Degree in Computer Science from the SNDT University in Mumbai.
As a professional with decades of experience in technology, Kuppa is credited for structuring the Department of Labour's artificial intelligence strategies, establishing its enterprise data platform and leading its technological advancement through the adoption of low-code/no-code solutions.
“I always said that AI is less about technology; it’s more about change management,” she said during a September 2024 interview at FedTalks. “Because normally, if you compare with previous technologies, there was time to understand, adapt and react to it. In AI, the pace of technology is so fast that we don’t have that time. So it’s very critical to think of it as a change management, and also invest in the workforce.”
