The nearly year-old subsidiary of the search and advertising titan now has a board of directors, a body that includes a former governor, a CIA engineer, retired generals, a commando and a college president.
Launched in June 2022, Google Public Sector aims to help local, state, federal and educational agencies build cloud-based digital tools.
So far, projects have included helping U.S. military personnel make career transitions, improving IT and data infrastructure for the city of Dearborn, Mich., and working with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources on wildlife protection, according to a statement from Google.
“The board will serve as an important feedback channel to Google Public Sector, ensuring our products and services meet the needs of our customers, help us anticipate future needs and drive differentiation in the U.S. public-sector market,” Karen Dahut, Google Public Sector CEO, said in that statement.
The board members are:
- Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Dave Goldfein, whose experience includes integrating military branches into a network of sensors and platforms
- Former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who now serves on the board of the Foundation for America's Public Lands
- Dawn Meyerriecks, an engineer who led the CIA Directorate of Science and Technology who now works as a corporate consultant
- Retired Gen. Tony Thomas, a U.S. Army veteran who commanded U.S. Special Operations Command and now works as a partner at Lux Venture Capital
- Retired Lt. Gen. Nadja West, former surgeon general of the U.S. Army who now serves on the board of Johnson & Johnson and other organizations
- Former U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who was also a New Mexico member of the U.S. House of Representatives and is now president of the University of Texas at El Paso and a member of the National Science Foundation Board
“Since taking on the role of CEO for Google Public Sector, I’ve heard directly from government and education customers the need for more choice in cloud vendors who can support their missions, and protect the health, safety and security of citizens,” said Dahut. “With our board of directors, Google Public Sector is well positioned to play a critical role in applying cloud technology to solve these and many other complex problems for our nation.”
