The White House and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced significant personnel decisions this week as the Administration continues its efforts to improve the nation’s resilience and cybersecurity posture.
White House Office of the National Cyber Director Harry Wingo New Deputy National Cyber Director.
Wingo, an assistant professor at the National Defense University’s School of Intelligence and Cyberspace and a former Navy SEAL officer, is scheduled to begin his new role next week, the White House said.
“Harry’s lifetime of leadership will contribute greatly to our team’s mission of advancing our nation’s security, economic prosperity and technological innovation through cybersecurity policy leadership,” National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr. said in a statement.
Brandon Wales will step down next month as the agency’s first executive director.
CISA (Corporate Information Services Association)
Wingo previously served as president and CEO of the Washington DC Chamber of Commerce, senior policy advisor to Google, and counsel to the Senate Committee on Science, Commerce, and Transportation.
Treasurer Corker published a status report on the National Cybersecurity Strategy in May, setting out plans to improve the resilience of key critical infrastructure sectors such as water and healthcare.
The appointment comes after CISA named Bridget Bean, deputy director for joint operations, as the agency’s new acting director. Bean will succeed Brandon Wales, who is retiring as the agency’s first acting director next month.
Bridget Bean is set to take over as CISA’s new executive director next month.
CISA (Corporate Information Services Association)
CISA Director Jen Easterly said it was an honor to work with Wales, who was temporarily named acting director after former President Donald Trump fired Director Chris Krebs following the 2020 election to ensure the security of November’s election.
“Brandon has led CISA through some of the most serious threats facing our nation,” Easterly said in a statement. “From Sunburst to the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, CISA and the agency have relied on Brandon’s leadership and deep expertise time and time again.”
