Pamela Isom

Pamela K. Isom serves as Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office (AITO) for the United States Department of Energy (DOE), and previously served as the DOE Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for Architecture, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (AET&I). 

Ms. Isom is a leader in ideation with extensive knowledge and experience in applying artificial intelligence in the digital ecosystem, enabling DOE to fulfill its strategic goals and objectives. She is a recipient of the 2021 Federal 100 Awards for her exceptional contributions in the way information technology is used to advance vital government missions. Ms. Isom is also a two-time recipient of the federal Gears of Government Award for her exceptional advancements in artificial intelligence and geospatial data science at DOE, and a recipient of the InnovateIT: Modernization Innovation Leader Award for excellence in federal government IT modernization leadership.

As a principal corporate officer, she inspires others to leverage AI automation and analytics to secure and optimize systems for high-impact outcomes in clean-energy, equity, and responsible and trustworthy (R&T) AI. She brings over 25 years of business transformation and expertise to the agency. With a natural talent for blending business with IT, Isom advances the DOE mission through AITO in delivering highly impactful R&T AI across the DOE community and the national laboratories. She has made great strides in the implementation of AI assurances and cybersecurity controls, and is a strong Chief Data Officers (CDO) partner.

In 2015, Ms. Isom joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from the private sector and served as the Director of the Office of Application Engineering and Development, where she led design, development, and implementation of high quality patent, trademark, and corporate systems in support of federal IT modernization efforts.

During her time at USPTO, the Department of Commerce honored Isom as a part of the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) Women of Innovation exhibition, and selected her as a panelist for their “Hidden Figures” event honoring trailblazing women in labor and business.

Prior to joining the federal workforce, Ms. Isom led business and IT transformation programs and operated as Principal Executive Consultant, Executive Enterprise Architect, and Software Engineer for various large organizations, with a specialization in cloud, data center transformation, and secured information management. She has published a book and multiple publications, including the peer-reviewed article “IT Modernization in the Energy Sector to Mitigate Cyber Threats of our Critical Infrastructure.” She has been awarded numerous patents and brings a wealth of private industry knowledge and applied experiences to the federal government.

Ms. Isom holds a master’s degree in Information Systems Management from Walden University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu. In her spare time, she likes to work out, garden, spend time with family, and be a positive role model.