White House nominates top leaders for CISA, other DHS components
Sean Plankey has been tapped to lead CISA after serving in key cyber roles during Trump’s first term. His nomination comes as CISA grapples with recent cuts.
A former Energy Department and National Security Council official has been tapped to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
President Donald Trump nominated Sean Plankey to serve as director of CISA. Plankey’s name was included among a slew of nominations sent to the Senate today.
During Trump’s first term, Plankey served as principal deputy assistant secretary for Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, known as “CESER,” which leads cyber preparedness in the energy sector. He also served on Trump’s National Security Council as director for maritime and Pacific cybersecurity policy.
Plankey’s experience also includes serving as deputy chief information officer for naval intelligence, a stint at U.S. Cyber Command and numerous positions in the Coast Guard.
Since leaving DoE in November 2020, Plankey has worked at multiple companies, including DataRobot and BedRock Systems. He most recently was the global head of cybersecurity software for multinational insurance brokerage WTW.
During his time at CESER, Plankey focused on securing the U.S. energy supply chain from cyber attacks. During that time, he worked closely with CISA, which was established as an independent agency in 2018.
His nomination comes as CISA’s workforce grapples with recent cuts after years of steady growth at the cyber agency. DHS laid off more than 130 probationary employees at CISA last month. Many of those workers had recently been hired or transitioned into DHS’s new Cybersecurity Talent Management System.
The Trump administration has also hired former DHS CIO Karen Evans to serve as executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA. Evans previously served as Plankey’s boss at DoE CESER.
USCIS, I&A nominees announced
The White House also announced other key DHS nominees today. So far, the Senate has confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and more recently, Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar.
Trump today nominated Joseph Edlow to serve as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Edlow is an attorney who previously served as deputy director and acting director at USCIS during the tail end of Trump’s first term.
Edlow has also served in top legal positions at the Justice Department, the House of Representatives, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The White House also announced Matthew Kozma as Trump’s pick to lead DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis. During Trump’s first term, Kozma served as CIO of the intelligence community. He also previously worked in a range of intelligence and IT positions across the Defense Department and the IC.
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