Karen Evans

As a Senate confirmed, Presidentially Appointed executive, served as the first the Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). An executive who served in three Presidential Appointed positions in two administrations. Possessing 30 years of executive-level management experience focused on cybersecurity, national security, technology innovation, service delivery and supply chain risk management. A frequent advisor to both Senate and House representatives, from both sides of the aisle, on critical issues.

Ms. Evans’s federal career began as a GS-2. She progressed serving in various roles including Presidentially Appointed positions supporting numerous agencies, as well as becoming the Federal CIO. Karen most recently served as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CIO, where she managed the largest civilian Information Technology (IT) budget. The budget was comprised of more than 400 IT investments totaling $7.3 billion supporting mission-critical national security modernization; data center consolidation; security operation center optimization; and improving the Department’s cybersecurity posture during this time of extended telework. Her work supported full capacity operations, delivering the DHS mission as well as the response effort to the SolarWinds incident. As the Administrator for E-Government and Information Technology at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within the Executive Office of the President, the Federal CIO, she oversaw the federal IT budget of $71 billion, which included implementation of IT throughout the federal government. As the Assistant Secretary for CESER, she provided the strategic direction, leadership, and management to develop solutions in partnership with private industry to address emerging threats of tomorrow while protecting the reliable flow of energy today by improving energy infrastructure security and supporting the DOE’s national security mission.

Prior to her most recent federal service, she was the National Director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a public-private program designed to help address the skills gap in the cybersecurity field and bring America’s best and brightest to serve our nation as cyber security professionals. During her work with the U.S. Cyber Challenge, Evans also co-chaired a two-year effort on behalf of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)’s cyber policy taskforce. The taskforce’s cybersecurity recommendations to the previous Administration sought to foster a secure and stable digital environment that supports economic growth while ensuring personal freedoms and national security.