Beth Cappello

Elizabeth A. Cappello serves as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

As Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO), Ms. Cappello is responsible for leading transformative initiatives and securing, operating and maintaining enterprise infrastructure. She arrived at DHS OCIO in August 2019 and served as the Acting CIO from November 2019 – May 2020, responding to DHS technology requirements during the COVID crisis.

During her tenure, Ms. Cappello initiated and implemented the DHS Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) and the Cyber Security Provider (CSP) Programs. In partnership with the DHS OCPO, Ms. Cappello directed the development of a comprehensive acquisition strategy and plan for the DHS primary Data Center to recompete a 12-year-old contract worth as much as $2B, the transition from GSA Networx contract to new Enterprise Information Solutions (EIS) worth $5B over contract life, and extended the contract for the second DHS enterprise data center while finalizing the exit strategy.

Prior to DHS HQ, Ms. Cappello served as the Acting CIO and Deputy CIO for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While at ICE, Ms. Cappello led several large technology initiatives, including a nearly seamless migration to cloud infrastructure, the retirement of legacy mainframe dependency, a 100% reduction in the agency’s footprint at DHS datacenters, and an enhanced ability to meet growing capacity and performance requirements. She oversaw the deployment of Microsoft Office 365, design and implementation of Software Defined Networking, and led Security Operations Center (SOC) optimization efforts, becoming the first DHS certified SOC services provider.

Ms. Cappello entered the Senior Executive Service in 2011 as the Executive Director, Field Support Directorate within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Information Technology providing direct technology services to the largest Federal law enforcement agency. Ms. Cappello began her Federal service as a U.S. Marine and has more than 30 years of government leadership and management expertise. She served in the legacy U.S. Customs Service at the National Data Center and at field offices in Southern California.

Ms. Cappello is a graduate of the Harvard University Senior Managers in Government program and the National Defense University Advanced Management program with Federal Chief Information Officer and Information Assurance certifications. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in management from Johns Hopkins University.