US chief technology officer Todd Park is stepping down (updated)

Updated (8:11 p.m. PST): Updated with confirmation of Park’s departure via an independent source that spoke with VentureBeat.

If there’s one thing most folks in the tech industry can agree on, it’s that there aren’t nearly enough technology-minded individuals helping to run the government.

The US government’s chief technology officer Todd Park plans to do something about it, which is why Park has decided to step down from his position, VentureBeat can now confirm. The news was initially reported by Fortune.

Confused? Don’t be.

Park is moving on to a new position dedicated to recruiting top tech leaders that may help the federal government push its technology plans to the next level, a source familiar with the situation told VentureBeat. The new position will apparently have Park working from Silicon Valley, which will allow him and his family to return to the West Coast.

The US CTO position was created by President Barack Obama back in 2009 to help foster job growth through technology, maintain a strong cybersecurity strategy, and more. This is undoubtedly a huge role and one that probably should have been put in place a decade ago. If this news proves true, Park’s departure and newly created position may aim to fix that by placing a seasoned team of tech leaders into specific areas that really need guidance.

Park’s background includes founding IT health care startups Athenahealth and Castlight, as well as overseeing the initial rollout of the government’s Healthcare.org as the CTO of the U.S. health and human services department. He took over as the country’s second US CTO back in 2012 after Aneesh Chopra stepped down.

Right now there’s no word on who might replace Park, although Fortune’s sources indicate that potential candidates from LinkedIn, Google, and Twitter. An official announcement from the White House about Park’s departure could come as soon as next week. The White House declined comment to VentureBeat about Park’s departure.