Laura Callahan

Laura Callahan (née Laura L. Crabtree) was a U.S. career civil servant. Callahan was a senior information technology (IT) manager at the White House before becoming deputy chief information officer (CIO) of the United States Department of Labor and senior director at the United States Department of Homeland Security. She resigned from the latter position after an investigation reported that she had obtained academic degrees from a diploma mill.

White House IT manager During an examination of alleged campaign finance irregularities of the 1996 presidential campaign during the Clinton administration, investigators discovered that a computer glitch had caused the White House's automated record management system (ARMS) to improperly scan, log, and archive incoming, external e-mails to almost 500 White House staff members. As a result, these emails were not turned over in response to a congressional subpoena. (The White House did turn over more than 7,000 emails in response to subpoenas in the inquiry).

In March 2000, Callahan was called to testify before Congress regarding her role as White House IT manager. Three Northrop Grumman contract workers responsible for operating the system testified that the problem was technical in nature, but that White House staff members Callahan and Mark Lindsay (an assistant to the president and director of White House management and administration) instructed them "to remain quiet on the issue while the problem was diagnosed and repaired," She was elected President of the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM), a professional organization representing federal information technology managers.

Some Department of Labor employees later interviewed by the media said that Callahan was difficult to work for and was known for "belittling and even firing subordinates who did not understand the technical jargon she apparently picked up while studying for her doctorate in computer information systems." A 2001 report issued by Assistant Inspector General John J. Getek cited "allegations of waste, mismanagement, fraud and abuse" against Callahan's office and faulted her management practices for fostering "low morale" among her staff of 125. Callahan was, however, promoted twice by the agency, and in 2002 became the Department's IT Director.

Department of Homeland Security

In April 2003, she was named to the position of Deputy CIO of the Department of Homeland Security.

In May 2003 Callahan was reported to have obtained all three degrees on her government resume—her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees—from Hamilton University, a diploma mill in Wyoming. Furthermore, she allegedly paid to have all three degrees backdated to 1993, 1995, and 2000, respectively.