Karl Schumann has been appointed as the FBI’s new Chief Information Officer and Assistant Director, taking on responsibility for enterprise technology, cybersecurity, digital transformation, IT governance, and innovation across the Bureau.
Schumann brings more than 20 years of FBI service to the role, with more than 40 years of combined experience in the FBI and U.S. Air Force. As CIO, he will lead efforts to modernize mission-critical systems, strengthen cyber resilience, advance the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, and align technology investments with the FBI’s strategic priorities through collaboration with the Department of Justice, Intelligence Community, and industry partners.
Prior to his appointment, Schumann served as Deputy Assistant Director in the FBI’s Operational Technology Division, where he helped oversee the use of technology in support of national security, criminal, and intelligence operations. Earlier, as Section Chief of the FBI’s Enterprise Vetting Center, he provided executive leadership for FBI vetting programs, managed risk, developed policy, and participated in interagency efforts focused on addressing global threats.
His leadership experience also includes serving as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Norfolk Field Office, where he oversaw counterterrorism, counterintelligence, intelligence, crisis management, surveillance, language services, and security programs. Before that, he held several supervisory positions within the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and managed surveillance operations supporting counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigations throughout the National Capital Region.
Schumann joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 2005 and has advanced through a series of operational, intelligence, and technology-focused leadership positions over the past two decades. His career has spanned national security investigations, counterintelligence operations, risk management, enterprise vetting, and operational technology.
In addition to his FBI service, Schumann spent more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve, where his work focused on law enforcement, counterterrorism, and national security missions.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in Management from Troy University.
