The Pentagon’s U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) has appointed Joy Angela Shanaberger as its new chief technology officer (CTO), she announced in a LinkedIn post.
“Excited to kick off 2025 as the Chief Technology Officer at U.S. Central Command. Joining a great team in the sunshine state ready to achieve big things together, deliberately,” she wrote.
Shanaberger succeeds Schuyler Moore, who announced her intent to step down as CENTCOM CTO in November to join the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet as an intelligence officer.
Shanaberger’s career in the defense sector spans several positions where she delved into “dynamic acquisition, technology, and logistics environments.” The new CENTCOM CTO had also served as an independent consultant or strategic adviser at defense technology companies.
Most recently, she served as the senior advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense where she “propelled defense and military innovation at scale,” she explained on her LinkedIn page. Shanaberger also served as the special assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics from 2011 to 2014.
Beyond her defense sector career, Shanaberger has led a diverse and interesting life, including nearly five years of training and competing as an amateur boxer. She also spent a brief period working as a photographer for the American Marketing Association’s National and Chicago Chapters.
USCENTCOM has made additional changes to its tech workforce with the appointment of Simon McKenzie as the new deputy chief information officer (CIO), which he announced on his LinkedIn page. Prior to his new post, McKenzie served as the chief of network operations at USUCENTCOM.
McKenzie, a lifelong public servant, has held several roles within the Department of Defense and the Federal government. Some of his previous roles include serving as chief executive officer and battalion commander at the Joint Communications Support Element, presidential communications officer at the White House Communication Agency, and military assistant to the Army Chief Information Officer.
