Zeke Maldonado has been named Executive Director for IT Operations at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, overseeing IT services that support the Department’s mission and the DHS Headquarters Management Directorate. In the role, he is responsible for the seamless operation of IT systems and infrastructure for roughly 15,000 personnel across the United States, including more than 30 major sites in the National Capital Region. His portfolio includes managing a workforce of more than 400 federal employees and contractors and an annual budget exceeding $400 million to sustain and modernize infrastructure, enhance cybersecurity, and deliver innovative IT solutions.
He previously served as Chief Information Officer and Director of TDS for DHS Intelligence & Analysis, where he led strategic and operational IT planning; oversaw budgeting, acquisition, and operations for mission-critical IT and data services; managed the nationwide DHS Top Secret/SCI network; ensured security and interoperability with classified systems across government and with federal, state, local, and foreign partners.
Before joining DHS I&A, Maldonado spent over 18 years at the Office of Naval Intelligence, where he served as CIO and Director for Technology and Innovation. In that role, he modernized ONI’s IT and data strategies, advanced cloud adoption, and led major initiatives in data science and enterprise cybersecurity. He also previously held leadership positions as Chief Knowledge/Data Officer and Deputy Department Head for C4ISR.
Maldonado’s industry experience includes five years at BAE Systems as an Electrical Engineer III leading FPGA and software development for naval IFF systems, and prior service as a Biomedical Engineering Technician III at Union Memorial Hospital–MedStar Health.
He holds an Executive MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, and an A.S. in Biomedical Engineering Technology from Howard Community College. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Virginia Tech Executive Ph.D. in Business. His background also includes completion of the Federal Executive Institute and recognition as a senior executive service member focused on driving cost, schedule, and performance efficiencies across IT, information management, and cybersecurity investments.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)