Chief of Staff

Tonya Judkins joined the Office of the Chief Information Officer in January 2017 and currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Ms. Judkins started her career with a foundation in leadership and key core values in the US Army as an Administrative Specialist at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. She served in several other faced paced positions, including the Protocol Officer at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in Virginia when she was honorably discharged in May 2004. She formally joined the Federal Government in 2008, working at the Department of Interior (DOI) as an IT Specialist for two years before transitioning to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2010. While there, she served in several leadership positions within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), including Director of Investment Portfolio Management Control, Director of the Office of the Secretary’s IT Management Division, and as Chief of Staff.

Ms. Judkins, earned a Master’s in Business Administration, with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management, both from Ashford University.  She is originally from Park Forest, IL and lives in Stafford, Virginia with her husband and two daughters, Danielle and Victoria. She prides herself on her integrity, diverse background and passion for employees.