Karen Evans named top cyber official at CISA

Karen Evans, a former Department of Energy cyber official, is the new executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, an agency spokesperson confirmed to Nextgov/FCW.

Evans served as the first assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response at Energy as an appointee in President Donald Trump’s first term. She also previously served as the CIO for the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to her selection for the executive assistant director role, Evans was serving as a senior advisor in CISA’s cybersecurity division.

CyberScoop first reported Evans’s new position, which was previously held by Jeff Greene and Eric Goldstein.

Prior to joining CISA, Evans most recently worked as managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, which, according to its website, seeks to “empower small and medium-sized enterprises with free tools and resources to help them become more secure and resilient.”

Before her role at Energy in the first Trump administration, Evans led the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a public-private initiative aimed at strengthening the cyber workforce. She also contributed to Trump’s first transition team, handling government technology management. During the George W. Bush administration, she was administrator for the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology in the Office of Management and Budget and oversaw its $71 billion governmentwide IT spending portfolio.

A CISA director has not yet been named, though former Energy cybersecurity officials Sean Plankey and Nick Andersen are among the top contenders for the role, people familiar with the matter have said.

Among Trump’s other picks for major cyber roles, former RNC official Sean Cairncross has been nominated for the national cyber director position, and Alexei Bulazel has been appointed senior director for cyber at the National Security Council.