Inspired By "Facebook Nation," Obama's Chief Disruptor Brings Startup Culture To The Gov't

"Driving innovation and innovative thought across the scope of government is super important," says federal Chief Innovation Officer Steven VanRoekel, who has been working under the radar since his appointment last August. After proving he could upend the federal bureaucracy with open government principles at the Federal Communications Commission, President Obama tapped him to bring a startup spirit to the entire federal bureaucracy.

Now, with the discretionary power that comes with the president's blessing, he wants to bring in fresh young faces to head up agency technology overhauls, deliver real-time, crowdsourced data from federal organizations, and make technology a systemic part of federal programs.