The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) National Risk Management Center (NRMC) is preparing for a change in leadership, as founding member Bob Kolasky prepares to leave CISA for the private sector.
When Kolasky departs at the end of the week, Mona Harrington will serve as acting associate director of the NRMC and Mara Winn will serve the task force as government co-chair, a CISA spokesperson told MeriTalk.
Kolasky helped found the NRMC and has been the director since its inception. He’ll now hand over the reins to Harrington and Winn, who both have served with Kolasky at the NRMC. Harrington just recently joined as NRMC assistant executive director, and Winn is the NRMC associate director of planning and coordination.
“Mona’s management experience and background in information security and risk management will be a huge asset for the Center,” Kolasky said when Harrington was hired in February. “She has been a great partner with us while at the Election Assistance Commission, and we will maintain the strong organizational relationship between CISA and the EAC as she begins her new role.”
“Her focus will be in helping mature the NRMC as we continue to build out our risk management and analysis work and providing leadership as we execute key initiatives to make the nation’s infrastructure more secure and resilient,” he continued.
Kolasky returns to the private sector after spending nearly the last 15 years at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in different agencies and roles.
Kolasky confirmed his impending departure on LinkedIn, noting that he is preparing to continue his work in the critical infrastructure risk management sector as the senior vice president for critical infrastructure at a risk and compliance software-as-a-service (SaaS) company.
“Excited to begin my next step in my career in critical infrastructure risk management next week,” Kolasky posted on March 8. “Of course, I can’t be prouder about what we were able to accomplish at CISA and the NRMC. I’m not quite done yet, but it has been the experience of a lifetime. Much respect to my colleagues who do the good work every day.”
Harrington just recently joined CISA and the NRMC in February, after working at the United States Election Assistance Commission since September 2018. She first served as CIO and chief information security officer.
Winn has been at DHS for nearly the past eight years, beginning with a five-year stint at the Transportation and Security Agency. Prior to her time at NRMC, Winn was a senior advisor to the DHS family reunification task force.
