Paul Gass, Director, DFAS Information Technology

Paul Gass is the Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).  He is responsible for the oversight and direction of DFAS Information Technology landscape with expenditures of nearly $400 million per year. He provides leadership for the development and sustainment of systems, automated solutions, hardware, software, and infrastructure supporting the global DFAS mission. 

Mr. Gass formerly served as the Deputy Director for the Indianapolis Operations Network of nearly 4500 federal employees at 52 locations across the world.  He managed day-to-day operations providing a range of finance and accounting services to the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and 31 Defense Agencies and federal entities, to include military and civilian payroll, field level and departmental accounting, audit support, collections and disbursing, debt collections, travel pay, and vendor pay.  Provided direct leadership over financial reporting for 50% of the DoD budget and one of the largest payroll operations in the world, paying 2.7 million personnel more than $153 billion annually.

Mr. Gass previously served as the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Resource Management for DFAS. He was responsible for the development, management, and direction of finance and accounting policy. He oversaw a comprehensive resource management program and business operating results for the agency's $1.3 billion annual budget while also supporting the DFAS financial statement audit requirements and fiscal services. Mr. Gass also served as the Director of Financial Management for DFAS, responsible for agency-level financial planning and execution oversight. His prior assignments include serving as the DFAS Budget Officer and the Director of Budget Execution and Funds Control. Prior to his arrival at DFAS, Mr. Gass served as a Senior Financial Management Consultant and Project Manager in the Defense sector, specializing in budget development, organizational change, and financial/resource management.  
 
Before beginning work in the Financial Management industry, Mr. Gass served as an Attack Aviation Officer and pilot in the U.S. Army for eight years where his assignments included numerous positions and deployments that required in-depth understanding and execution of both combat and sustainment strategies, operations, and tactics. He earned the Aviator Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Sapper Tab. He has been awarded a number of awards, including the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medals, and was twice awarded as a “Top Gun.”     

Mr. Gass was selected into the Senior Executive Service in April of 2015. He served on the American Society of Military Comptrollers National Executive Committee as the Vice President for DFAS for four years until 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY, and a Master of Business Administration (Management) degree from Troy University in Troy, AL. Mr. Gass is also a graduate of the Harvard Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, a certified Project Management Professional, and Level III Department of Defense Financial Management certified.

Updated December 30, 2019