The Accreditation Board (CMMC-AB) for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program has elected Vice Chair Jeff Dalton to be its next CMMC-AB Chair, the board announced Dec. 20.
The current and first chairman, Karlton Johnson, let the CMMC-AB know that he would not seek a second term. Paul Michaels, who currently serves as chair of the ethics and compliance committee and the acting government security officer, will take Dalton’s place as the next vice chair on the board.
“I am honored to lead the CMMC-AB Board of Directors,” Dalton said in a statement. “I am profoundly grateful for the contributions of Karlton Johnson, who took on a very challenging situation at a critical time in standing up this nascent effort, using only the services of patriotic volunteers to create something unprecedented. He did a tremendous job keeping the AB mission-focused and leading the Board to where we are today.”
The CMMC-AB is the DoD’s sole partner in building out the CMMC ecosystem, including the vital role of approving third-party assessor organizations.
The CMMC program has gone through significant changes this year, after an internal review led to the creation of CMMC 2.0. The Government Accountability Office also recently knocked the program on its implementation goals and its lack of communication with members of the Defense Industrial Base.
“Two of my top goals are to ensure that all CMMC participants understand that the recently announced ‘CMMC 2.0’ offers continued, compelling and implementable value, as well as to provide our CEO, Matthew Travis, all the tools and support he needs to make the CMMC-AB and the entire ecosystem successful,” he added.
In addition to his seat on the CMMC-AB Board of Directors, Dalton serves as president and CEO of Broadsword and as the chief evangelist for AgileCxO.org.