Title: Lead Technical Architect
Company: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: Fort Pierce, Florida, United States
Chris Haarer, lead technical architect at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Engineers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in technology engineering.
With nearly three decades of experience to his credit, Mr. Haarer has built a successful career in technology engineering, specializing in enterprise cloud fax (ECFax), cloud architecture, systems and infrastructure, Amazon Web Services, Azure, and providing support to organizations such as Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Coast Guard. He currently serves as a lead technical architect at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a role he has held since 2018. In this capacity, he manages a development team responsible for creating an analytics reporting portal to support the ECFax project for Veterans Affairs and other government entities. His work also includes achieving FedRAMP marketplace certification and performing clerical duties. His experience also includes serving as a support specialist at Nlyte Software, now Automated Logic Corporation, from 2015 to 2018, and as a senior systems administrator at Ellucian Company L.P. from 2009 to 2017. He was a systems consultant with Creative Tech Solutions from 2006 to 2013, held software engineering roles at Northrop Grumman in 2008, Boeing in 2007, and Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2007, and served as network manager at Certified Vacations Group, Inc., from 1995 to 2000.
Mr. Haarer has also dedicated his time as a district captain and lead with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary since 2019 and as a group lead for GriefShare at Christ Fellowship Church since 2018. GriefShare is a support group program designed to help individuals navigate the challenges of losing a loved one through weekly meetings that include video seminars, group discussions, and personal study. In light of his impressive achievements throughout his career, he was honored with the FORUM Innovation for Government Award in 2024, which recognizes groundbreaking federal IT programs that demonstrate innovation, excellence, and advancement of agency missions through technology. Laying a strong educational foundation for his successes, he earned a Bachelor of Science in ministry leadership from Southeastern University in 2024 and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in divinity. Reflecting on his journey, he takes immense pride in the role his team played in scaling cloud solutions in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs six years ago.
Mr. Haarer attributes his success to his compassionate leadership style, which focuses on empowering his team to excel in their roles. Looking to the future, he has approximately seven years remaining in his current contract and anticipates achieving FedRAMP certification, a milestone that will allow his team to market their solutions to other federal entities. Within the next few years, he envisions his current team members advancing to manage teams at other agencies. Depending on the outcome of his contract, he may transition into a role as general manager or director overseeing multiple agencies and operations. In addition to his current endeavors, he is preparing to take on a new role as a chaplain for the U.S. Coast Guard, actively completing the necessary courses. In advising aspiring professionals, he believes that service above self is the cornerstone of leadership advancement, and emphasizes the importance of truly listening, rather than merely hearing, and taking meaningful action based on what is learned.
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