The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has announced that Kiersten E. Todt will be its new Chief of Staff.
In this role, Todt will spearhead the planning, allocation of resources, and development of long-range objectives in support of CISA’s goals and provide strategic vision and direction to enable and empower CISA’s workforce.
“I am thrilled to welcome Kiersten as our new Chief of Staff and my close partner in continuing the transformation of CISA as the nation’s cyber and infrastructure defense agency. Her experiences in the private sector and in government make her extraordinarily well-qualified for this critical role. I am particularly excited to be able to draw upon Kiersten’s leadership ability and her deep partnerships with industry, to include the small business community—a key element of our nation’s economy,” stated CISA Director Jen Easterly.
“I am honored to serve and to join Jen and the tremendous team at CISA to help protect our nation’s critical infrastructure. I look forward to shaping CISA’s long-term planning and working with industry, federal agencies, and state, local, tribal, and territorial government partners to chart the path forward for a more secure and resilient nation,” stated Todt.
Prior to her role at CISA, Todt served as the Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI), a non-profit initiative that convenes senior executives of global companies to develop free cybersecurity tools and resources for small businesses, worldwide. She was also the CEO of Liberty Group Ventures, LLC (LGV) and a member of the team supporting the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the development of the Voluntary Cybersecurity Framework called for in President Obama’s 2013 Executive Order 13636 on cybersecurity.
Todt most recently served in the federal government in 2016 as the Executive Director of President Obama’s independent, bipartisan Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. In this role, she led the twelve commissioners, who were leaders from industry, government, academia, and law enforcement, to develop a consensus document of cybersecurity recommendations for the then-incoming Administration. Her federal government experience also includes serving as a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. She worked for the Committee Chairman, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and was responsible for co-drafting the cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness, bioterror, and science and technology portions of the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security.
Christopher Roberti, Senior Vice President for Cyber, Intelligence, and Supply Chain Security Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Todt has long championed cybersecurity priorities for U.S. businesses and is a national leader on cyber policy.
“The Chamber is pleased to be working with Kiersten and Director Easterly’s entire team on enhancing cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, protecting America’s small businesses, and driving adoption of cyber best practices throughout the broader business community,” Roberti said. “Simply put, Kiersten is one of the smartest people in the room on cyber. Director Easterly and Kiersten make an outstanding team and we at the Chamber look forward to working with them.”
Todt’s commentary on cybersecurity, homeland security, and sport security issues has been featured in national television and print media outlets including NBC, CBS, CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, NPR, Fox News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fortune, and Business Insider.
She graduated from Princeton University, with a degree in public policy from the School of Public and International Affairs and a certificate in African-American Studies. Todt holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and a certificate in negotiation and conflict resolution from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
This story was updated on September 17 to include comments from Christopher Roberti.
