Inside former FCC CIO Allen Hill’s full-throttle leadership

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When Allen Hill rolled into FCC headquarters on his Harley-Davidson, it was more than a striking image. It captured the spirit behind a 40-plus year career marked by independence, focus and a little fearlessness. Now officially retired from federal service, Hill leaves behind a legacy of modernization, mentorship and steady leadership across multiple agencies.

Hill completed his tenure as the Federal Communications Commission’s chief information officer on October 31, closing out a run that spanned the punch-card era to the rise of AI. His impact — on systems, on strategy, and on people — will be felt for years.

“Don’t just think outside the box — get out of the box,” Hill often said. And he lived that philosophy every step of his career.

A technologist from the start

Hill’s journey began long before he ever set foot at the FCC. From high school computer labs to the U.S. Air Force, he built technical depth early and often. During more than two decades in uniform, he helped stand up Pacific Air Forces’ first Network Operations Security Center, supported DISA in transitioning from ATM to IP networks, and built expertise in everything from land mobile radio to digital microwave systems.

“I was a systems guy who became a network guy,” Hill recalls. “That mix has shaped everything I’ve done since.”

After retiring from the Air Force in 2005, Hill quickly became a sought-after leader in civilian government. At the U.S. Department of Education, he helped the agency understand that modernization had to begin with infrastructure — not applications.

When he arrived, there were aspirations to launch Microsoft 365, but the network couldn’t support it.

“Your highway matters,” he would say. “If the network isn’t built to support modern workloads — whether cloud or AI — the experience will suffer.”

His insistence on building the foundational layers first led to significant cost reductions and reinvestments in modernization.

Hill’s next major chapter took him to the General Services Administration, where he oversaw the telecommunications portfolio tied to the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions EIS contract. His ability to blend technical fluency with acquisition understanding made him highly effective.

By the time he concluded his tenure as deputy assistant commissioner, the portfolio had grown from about $24.5 billion to more than $32 billion in just three years.

“We focused on talking to customers in their language,” he said. “CIOs care about service delivery. Acquisition officers care about streamlined procurement. Taxpayers care about value.”

A strategic CIO for the right agency

Becoming a CIO was always on Hill’s horizon, but he wanted it to be for the right organization — one where he could stay deeply involved in delivery, not just oversight.

FCC was that place.

He had actually applied for the CIO role once before and wasn’t selected. But when he reapplied — this time with even more executive seasoning — he stepped into the role during an unprecedented moment: the height of the COVID-era.

Despite that challenge, Hill led a sweeping modernization of FCC’s IT environment. FCC now has approximately 94% of its systems operating in FedRAMP-authorized cloud environments, a foundational step that enabled responsiveness during zero-day vulnerabilities and created a platform for future modernization.

He also reduced FCC’s operating costs in his portfolio by about 20%, reinvesting those savings directly into modernization.

Perhaps one of Hill’s most impactful initiatives was Project Rocket, FCC’s aggressive effort to retire outdated systems, consolidate architectures and transition to sustainable, supportable technologies.

“Moving to the cloud isn’t modernization,” Hill often emphasized. “It’s the step before modernization.”

Under his leadership, the agency replaced unsupported technologies, established more secure patterns for system delivery and prepared the environment for low-code and no-code approaches where appropriate.

Hill was also known for his strong support of FedRAMP and for sponsoring vendors when it delivered value across government.

“Sponsoring an authorization isn’t a burden — it’s a service to the entire federal enterprise,” he said. “It reduces duplication, increases stability and helps agencies modernize faster.”

Hill’s leadership style was hands-on and team-centered. Taking the CIO role during the pandemic meant inheriting a team under strain. His first year was focused on bringing in the right leaders — people who could execute and who shared a commitment to modernization.

He called them his “Justice League.”

Through skill-building, restructuring, and a shift toward deeper technical expertise, Hill transformed the FCC OCIO into a highly capable, mission-driven organization. Their work together during urgent zero-day events — where Hill and his executives worked side by side on keyboards for more than 25 hours straight — remains a point of pride.

Legacy: People first and always learning

Looking back, Hill says his proudest accomplishment isn’t the migrations, cost savings or architectures — it’s the people.

“If you get, give. If you learn, teach,” he says, quoting Maya Angelou. “I’ve been blessed to have colleagues who helped me grow, and I’ve loved helping others grow in return.”

He points to former teammates who have stepped into leadership roles across government, continuing the modernization momentum he helped spark.

As Hill transitions out of government service, he’s turning toward long-overdue time with family — and the open road.

He and his wife, a physician who happily rides on the back of his Harley, are taking time to reflect before deciding what comes next. There’s interest from industry, but Hill is giving himself space to enjoy the moment.

And yes — there will be football.

“Go Steelers,” he says with a grin.

Though retired, Hill leaves behind an FCC better prepared for the future, a culture of modern thinking and a generation of technologists who carry his belief in innovation, teamwork and always riding full throttle toward the mission.