Today on The Daily Scoop Podcast, Capt. Brian Erickson was appointed as the U.S. Coast Guard’s first ever chief data officer in 2021. Not long after that, the service added artificial intelligence to his portfolio, making him also the first chief data and AI officer for the Coast Guard. Now Erickson has been called on by the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency for the Coast Guard, to serve as deputy director for the department’s presidential transition office.

As he makes the switch to that new role, Erickson recently sat down for an exit interview of sorts to share what he accomplished during his time as CDAO for the Coast Guard, his nontraditional path to a career in technology, what’s ahead as he pivots to focus on the 2024 presidential transition, and much more.