NASA taps new IT security leader

NASA has selected Jeanette Hanna-Ruiz as its new chief information security officer.

An announcement on the NASA.gov website states that Hanna-Ruiz, who will also serve as the senior agency information security official, will take over her new role on Aug. 8.

Hanna-Ruiz's 20-plus years of cybersecurity experience include being a primary author of the Cyberspace Policy Review for the White House and serving as chief of staff for the National Protection and Programs Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security.

While at DHS, she helped bolster the department's cyber readiness and shape its cyber mission. She also worked with a joint DHS/National Security Agency cyber coordination group and served as the program manager for a cyber crime and forensics training academy sponsored by the Defense Department.

In 2012, Hanna-Ruiz took her talents to Microsoft, where she was a senior leader of the company's consulting services with a focus that included cybersecurity. She also taught cybersecurity and policy at the University of Maryland University College.