Karen S. Evans, a veteran cybersecurity and information technology leader, has been nominated to serve as Under Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Evans would oversee the entire Management Directorate, one of the most critical operational components of DHS. In this role, she would be responsible for managing the department’s $60+ billion budget, overseeing human resources for more than 260,000 employees, maintaining DHS information technology systems, and securing federal infrastructure nationwide.
Evans would lead a diverse team of senior officials including the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Security Officer, among others. Her cybersecurity and IT expertise would be particularly valuable in strengthening DHS’s digital infrastructure and biometric identification services. As Under Secretary, she would ensure efficient communication between DHS employees, other government agencies, and the public while implementing performance measurements to track departmental effectiveness in protecting national security.
The nomination comes after Evans assumed the role of Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in late February. As Executive Assistant Director, Evans has led CISA’s cybersecurity efforts, coordinating national initiatives to secure critical infrastructure and enhance resilience across sectors. Prior to this appointment, she served as a senior advisor within CISA’s cybersecurity division and was Managing Director at the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI), where she championed cybersecurity resilience for small and mid-sized businesses.
Evans has long been recognized for her leadership across critical government cybersecurity functions. She previously served as the first Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2018 to 2020, and as Chief Information Officer at DHS from 2020 to 2021, where she oversaw major modernization initiatives and technology investments across the department.
Her public service includes senior leadership roles at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where she was Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology during the George W. Bush administration, overseeing $71 billion in federal IT spending. She has also worked at the Department of Justice, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Park Service.
Beyond government, Evans co-founded SafeGov, an advisory firm focused on secure cloud adoption for federal agencies.
Evans holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Public History, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from West Virginia University. She is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
