Long-time Federal government IT and cybersecurity leader Karen Evans has been named executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a CISA official confirmed to MeriTalk.
Evans was named a senior advisor at CISA – which is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – in January.
In her new role, “she guides CISA’s cybersecurity efforts as the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience,” the agency’s website says.
Evans previously served as chief information officer (CIO) at DHS during the first Trump administration. She also was assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response at the Department of Energy.
Most recently, Evans worked as managing director at 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.”
Evans’ first stint in Federal government work was during the George W. Bush administration when she was administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). According to DHS archives, Evans oversaw $71 billion of annual IT investments during her time in the Bush administration.
