The Biden administration is preparing to appoint a former DOGE employee, Gebbia, as the nation’s first-ever Chief Design Officer, according to sources familiar with the matter. This groundbreaking appointment would establish a new role focused on design thinking at the federal level.
Gebbia, who previously worked with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), brings significant experience in applying design principles to government operations. While the White House has not yet made an official announcement, the appointment is reportedly in its final stages.
A New Role in Federal Government
The creation of a Chief Design Officer position represents a shift in how the federal government approaches problem-solving and service delivery. The role is expected to focus on enhancing the user experience across government services, websites, and applications that millions of Americans interact with daily.
Design experts view this appointment as recognition that good design is not merely aesthetic but fundamental to effective governance. The position would likely involve:
- Streamlining digital services across federal agencies
- Improving accessibility of government resources
- Applying human-centered design principles to policy implementation
- Coordinating design standards across departments
Background and Qualifications
During their tenure at DOGE, Gebbia led several initiatives to modernize government services and improve efficiency through design thinking. Their
work focused on making government more responsive to citizen needs through thoughtful interface design and streamlined processes.
“
Design thinking in government isn’t about making things look pretty—it’s about making services work better for people,” said a former colleague who worked with Gebbia at DOGE but requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
The appointment comes as part of a broader push by the
administration to modernize government operations and improve citizen experience when interacting with federal agencies.
Industry Response
Design professionals have responded
positively to news of the potential appointment. Many see it as validation that design has strategic importance beyond the private sector.
“Having a chief design officer at the national level signals that the administration understands that how government services are designed directly impacts their effectiveness,” noted a design director at a major technology company.
Several other countries, including the United Kingdom and Denmark, have already established similar roles to bring design thinking into government operations.
If confirmed, Gebbia would face significant challenges, including coordinating design efforts across dozens of federal agencies with different systems, cultures, and technical capabilities. The role would likely require balancing short-term improvements with longer-term structural changes to how government services are conceived and delivered.
The White House is expected to make an official
announcement about the appointment in the coming weeks, which would provide more details about the specific responsibilities and objectives for this new position.
