This summer, WashingtonExec is reaching out to leaders in government and government contracting who’ve had success to learn more about their habits, experiences and perspectives.
Renny DiPentima was formerly the deputy commissioner and chief information officer at the Social Security Administration and is also a past president and CEO of SRA International.
WashingtonExec: What is on your summer reading list?
DiPentima:
- “Circe” by Madeline Miller. This bestselling author takes Greek mythology and transforms it into a fictionalized, easy-to-read narrative that remains true to the content of the classic stories.
- “Grant” by Ron Chernow. This was an excellent book, and I learned a lot about that administration. I had been walking around with, if any point of view, certainly a different point of view than what I got after reading the book. I truly enjoyed that.
- “Leonardo da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson. I also am halfway finished reading this truly spectacular book. I’ve always liked Walter Isaacson’s writing, whether it was on Benjamin Franklin or Steve Jobs, and he does a really fantastic job on this one.
- “House of Spies” by Daniel Silva. I always like to read a thriller now and then, and this one is on my more recent list. I like the way Silva writes, and I enjoy his story lines.
Tell me about a time in your life when you had to really stretch yourself in order to learn and grow.
About 30 years ago, I was working full-time as an assistant commissioner at the Social Security Administration when I decided to go to the University of Maryland for my Ph.D. I continued working full-time and was also married and had two young kids. I was doing school at night after work and then working all day on my studies on Saturday and Sunday writing the dissertation. My wife Pat would take our two daughters out for the day on the weekend, and I would start writing at about 7 in the morning, and I would write until probably 5 or 6 at night. It was a lot.
I really had to stretch and learn and grow, but it was very satisfying and very worthwhile. I learned a great deal not only about myself but a great deal about the subject of public policy and technology. That was long before there was an internet. Today you have a lot of interest in public policy with respect to the internet, the use of the internet, what should be on social media, and so on. None of that existed then. We were just beginning to learn about how technology as it grew could affect public policy.
If you could go back and give your younger self career and/or life advice, what would you say?
I was just having this discussion a couple of days ago with my grandson, Jack, who is 12, and we got into this very subject. I gave the same advice to him that I would give to my younger self: Find what you like to do, have fun doing it, do it with a passion, and do it with a high degree of ethics and honesty.
What is your favorite city to visit? What do you enjoy doing there?
Paris is by far my favorite city, and I visit often. I enjoy walking, whether it’s to see the Louvre and the good restaurants in the nearby district, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, or down the left bank to a little hotel we stay at. We have friends there, and I love to visit with them. I love walking along the Seine at night when the Eiffel Tower is lit up and sparkling, and I can’t spend enough time at the Louvre. You could spend a lifetime and not see it all.
Tell me about an app, device or type of technology you personally love and why.
First of all, I love my iBooks app. It’s so easy for me to find a book that I like and to download it and have it with me no matter where I go. I like the health app I have on my iPhone because it tracks your day-to-day activity.
Facetime is also a tremendously convenient application, particularly if you are traveling out of the country. It’s so easy to make a phone call, and I use it often.
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