Chris Haarer
Chris J. Haarer
Lead Technical Architect | Department of Veterans Affairs
Since 2018, Chris J. Haarer has utilized his decades of experience in information technology and cloud computing systems to excel in his role as lead technical architect for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Guided by his expertise in cloud architecture and infrastructure, and natural skills as a compassionate leader, he leads and empowers a development team that provides technical support in system architecture, system design, system integration, and technical management. In 2024, he was recognized with a Forum Innovation for Government Award.
Among his numerous responsibilities, Mr. Haarer’s predominantly involved in writing an analytic reporting portal focused on an Enterprise Cloud Fax (ECFax) project—which allows for government cloud faxing and secure information exchange solutions—for Veterans Affairs and other government entities. He considers his most notable achievement in this capacity was when his team was integral in scanning up some of the cloud solutions in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for Veterans Affairs in 2018.
Before settling into this position, Mr. Haarer served as a support specialist for Nlyte Software from 2015 to 2018, a senior systems administrator for Ellucian from 2009 to 2017, and a systems consultant for Creative Tech Solutions from 2006 to 2013. In addition, he has previously been active as a software engineer for information systems at Northrop Grumman, a software engineer at Boeing, and a software engineer for information technology at Lockheed Martin. He launched his career as a network manager at Certified Vacations, where he excelled from 1995 to 2000.
Mr. Haarer has also been active as a group leader for GriefShare—a grief recovery support group—at Christ Fellowship Church since 2018 and a district captain with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary since 2019.
Looking toward the future, he currently has seven years remaining in his contract with Veterans Affairs. He anticipates that he and his team will obtain a FedRAMP certification, enabling them to market to other federal entities. He believes he may either be promoted to the position of general manager or director of multiple agencies and operations in the next three to five years.
Press Release
Marquis Who’s Who Honors Chris J. Haarer for Expertise in the Governmental Sector
Chris J. Haarer is lauded for his work as a lead technical architect with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
FORT PIERCE, FL, June 19, 2024 —
Chris J. Haarer has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Haarer is a lead technical architect with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Austin, Texas, who has dedicated his career to advancing technological solutions within the public sector. Since earning his position in 2018, he has managed a development team responsible for writing an analytics reporting portal designed to report on the ECFax project for Veterans Affairs and other government entities. Mr. Haarer’s team also attains FedRAMP marketplace certification and maintains the faxes received by the VA, delivering them to shared folders, printers, or emails.
Leveraging 30 years of experience, Mr. Haarer began his career as a network manager at Certified Vacations in 1995. After 15 years of success, he worked as a systems consultant at Creative Tech Solutions from 2006 to 2013. He also held software engineering roles at Lockheed Martin Information Technology and The Boeing Company in 2007, followed by Northrop Grumman Information Systems from 2008 to 2009. Moreover, Mr. Haarer served as a senior systems administrator at Ellucian between 2009 and 2017 and honed his expertise as a support specialist at Nlyte Software from 2015 to 2018.
Mr. Haarer’s professional journey began with his service in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1984 to 1990. This experience laid the foundation for his disciplined approach to technology and leadership.
In 2024, Mr. Haarer graduated from Southeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in ministry leadership. He is now pursuing a Master of Science in divinity.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. Haarer is actively involved in civic organizations. Since 2018, he has served as a group lead for GriefShare at Christ Fellowship Church and as a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary district captain since 2019. His contributions to these organizations reflect his commitment to community service and leadership.
Among Mr. Haarer’s most notable achievements is successfully leading a team that was integral in implementing cloud solutions in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for the VA several years ago. This accomplishment underscores his expertise in enterprise cloud fax (ECFax) and his ability to drive innovation within government technology. Mr. Haarer was also honored with a Forum Innovation for Government Award in 2024.
Mr. Haarer’s dedication to technological advancement, compassionate leadership, and community involvement have earned him recognition and respect within his field. He anticipates obtaining FedRAMP certification, enabling him to market services to other federal entities. He also envisions that the individuals working under him will manage teams at other agencies within a few years. Depending on the outcome of his contract, Mr. Haarer aims to become promoted to general manager or director of multiple agencies and operations.
