RNC hires Facebook manager as chief technology officer – The Hill’s Hillicon Valley

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has hired a Facebook engineering manager as its new chief technology officer (CTO).

“Pleased to announce we have hired Andy Barkett as the RNC’s CTO,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted Thursday evening.

“Excited to get to work growing digital operation,” Preibus continued.

After suffering a tough loss in the 2012 presidential election, the RNC in March said the Republican Party must close the digital divide between the GOP and Democrats if it wanted to win the upcoming midterm elections and 2016 presidential race.

As part of that effort, the RNC said it wanted to hire a chief technology and digital officer by May 1 who would be responsible for recruiting a team of savvy data scientists, tech and digital advocates that would build a new data and digital operation for the upcoming contests.

via RNC hires Facebook manager as chief technology officer – The Hill’s Hillicon Valley.