Leadership
Ryan Donaghy returns to CISA as first chief operating officer
Donaghy previously served in acting leadership roles across two of the agency’s divisions and moved to the Transportation Security Administration in October.
DOGE is about making government services easier to access, its head says
In a rare public speaking appearance in which DOGE was discussed, its acting administrator Amy Gleason painted a different vision of its work than that pursued during the government-slashing efforts last year.
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White House taps Education’s tech lead as new deputy federal CIO
Thomas Flagg is a longtime government executive, having worked in the Labor Department for over 11 years prior to joining the Education Department.
Andrew Vanjani becomes CIO for USCIS
Vanjani has held several positions across federal and state agencies and will take over a position left vacant for nearly a year after former USCIS CIO Bill McElhaney departed in May.
Trump nominates third VA CIO since the start of his administration
Gary Shatswell, a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve in the role of CIO and assistant secretary for information and technology.
Plankey withdraws nomination to lead CISA
It’s not clear who Trump will tap to lead the cyberdefense agency following Plankey's withdrawal.
Pentagon announces senior appointments to CIO’s office
"Their collective expertise in cybersecurity, defense innovation, and enterprise-level strategy is exactly what we need to accelerate our mission,” Defense CIO Kirsten Davies said about her new leadership team.
HHS reverses Biden-era restructuring of its IT and tech operations
The move includes transitioning oversight of the agency’s chief technology officer, chief data officer and chief AI officer back to the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
Pro-Iran hackers claim breach of FBI director’s email
The leaks appear to be authentic, according to a person familiar with the matter.
VA’s former EHR lead indicted for concealing contractor gifts
The Department of Justice alleges that John Windom accepted and sometimes demanded various gifts while helming the electronic health record modernization at Veterans Affairs.
Agency data leads worry about staff capacity to tackle statutory requirements, survey finds
The Data Foundation found that some 40% of chief data officers lost six or more employees last year.
Inspector general group to be led by former Trump administration adviser
A government oversight organization said that the selection of Cheryl Mason, who is the inspector general for the Veterans Affairs Department, shows the White House is “putting more of a thumb on the scale” of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
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Ex-NSA leaders say Americans are becoming ‘numb’ to cyber threats
A serious cyberattack hasn’t prompted a strong enough policy or public reaction, one former director said.
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New NSA director pushes for more intel-sharing with allies in internal meeting
Gen. Josh Rudd also told members of NSA and Cyber Command that the organizations should still focus on major cyber adversaries like Russia and China, despite the Trump administration’s emphasis on the southern border.
Mullin confirmed to lead DHS as shutdown drags on and 100,000 employees remain unpaid
Trump's new DHS chief promises some reforms and renewed staffing efforts.
Counterterrorism center head resigns over Iran war
Joe Kent said Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation” and he could not support the ongoing war.
Lawmakers seek watchdog probe into former acting CISA chief’s polygraph failures
A letter penned by House Democrats indicates CISA’s former acting director failed a second polygraph examination during his tenure.
VA’s top tech and AI official announces departure
VA Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Officer Charles Worthington, who first joined the agency in 2017, said in a LinkedIn post that “the time is right for me to step down” from the agency.
Vought takes aim at GAO in new guidance
This is not the first time the head of the Office of Management and Budget has pushed back against Congress’ watchdog.
SEWP’s long-tenured leader is calling it a career
Before leaving government, Joanne Woytek is giving herself enough time to see the popular IT contract's next iteration through protests and into launch.
