President Donald Trump has nominated Gary Shatswell to be the assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer (CIO) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the White House announced on Tuesday.
Currently, Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence fills the dual-hatted role in an acting capacity.
Shatswell’s nomination is Trump’s third attempt to fill the CIO role at the VA. The president previously nominated Alan Boehme for the role in June 2025 and then nominated Ryan Cote in July 2025, but later withdrew both nominations.
Shatswell is currently serving as a senior advisor to the secretary at the VA. He joined the agency in December 2025.
In a LinkedIn post announcing Shatswell’s new role in December, Lawrence said that Shatswell has over 30 years of experience as a CIO and technology executive. Most recently, Shatswell served as group CIO at Unilever Prestige, and before that, served as CIO at Paula’s Choice Skincare.
“He has a proven record of driving strategic transformation, improving operational performance, and leading high-performing technology organizations,” Lawrence said.
As the CIO, the assistant secretary is responsible for overseeing the VA’s Office of Information and Technology and delivering secure, cost-effective technology services to the department. The assistant secretary serves as the principal advisor to the VA secretary and deputy secretary on matters relating to information and technology management.