FBI leader and cybersecurity expert Brett Leatherman has been promoted to Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, bringing more than two decades of experience in federal law enforcement, national security, and cyber operations to one of the Bureau’s most critical leadership roles.
Leatherman, who most recently served as Deputy Assistant Director for Cyber Operations, officially stepped into the new position in June 2025. His promotion comes after over 22 years with the FBI, including leadership assignments in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and nationally across multiple key cyber units.
Over the course of his FBI career, Leatherman has managed national security cyber threats, engaged with top-tier private sector partners to strengthen public-private collaboration, and led outreach efforts designed to bridge gaps in threat intelligence between government agencies and industry stakeholders. He previously served as Assistant Section Chief of the FBI Cyber Division’s Operational Engagement Section, where he oversaw more than 50 personnel working to share real-time cyber threat intelligence and mitigate threats to U.S. critical infrastructure.
Leatherman’s operational experience also includes time as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the FBI’s Dallas field office and as a Supervisory Special Agent handling cyber national security programs. Outside of the Bureau, Leatherman continues to educate the next generation of cyber leaders as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he teaches cyber operations. He holds a master’s degree in Cybersecurity Risk Management from Georgetown and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems from Cornerstone University.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
