CISA hires former DHS CIO into top cyber position

A former cyber executive at the Department of Homeland Security and the Energy Department has joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Karen Evans is now “senior advisor for cybersecurity” at CISA, an agency spokesman confirmed to Federal News Network today. Evans posted about joining CISA on LinkedIn last night.

A CISA spokesman did not confirm whether Evans would be elevated to a permanent role at the agency. But multiple sources said Evans is likely to either be named as executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA or move on to a top position at DHS headquarters.

During the first Trump administration, Evans was DHS CIO between June 2020 and January 2021. She also served as assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response at the Energy Department between 2018 and 2020.

During her time at Energy, Evans served with Sean Plankey, who is reportedly President Donald Trump’s likely pick to serve as director at CISA.

After leaving in government in 2020, Evans worked as a partner at KE&T Partners and served as managing director of the nonprofit Cyber Readiness Institute. She also co-led a National Academy of Public Administration study released in 2022 on CISA’s role in building a national cybersecurity workforce.

Evans’ move back into government comes as agencies continue to respond to the Chinese government-backed hacking of U.S. critical infrastructure, including the Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon campaigns, respectively. Trump has yet to announce nominees for top cybersecurity jobs, including CISA director or White House national cyber director.

CISA’s role within the Trump administration is also in flux. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called for a “smaller, more nimble” CISA. She and other conservatives have criticized the cyber agency for its work to help address mis- and disinformation during elections.

“CISA’s gotten far off mission,” Noem said during her Senate confirmation hearing last month. “They’re using their resources in ways that was never intended. The misinformation and disinformation that they have stuck their toe into and meddled with should be refocused back onto what their job is.”

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