The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency continues to face leadership uncertainty, after CISA’s acting director was moved to another Department of Homeland Security position following a rocky tenure.
A senior DHS official confirmed that Madhu Gottumukkala will now serve as DHS’s “director of strategic implementation.” CISA’s acting executive assistant director for cybersecurity Nick Andersen will now serve as acting CISA director, the senior DHS official confirmed.
“Madhu Gottumukkala has done a remarkable job in a thankless task of helping reform CISA back to its core statutory mission,” the senior official said. “He tackled the woke, weaponized, and bloated bureaucracy that existed at CISA, wrangling contracts to save American taxpayer dollars.”
Gottumukkala was named deputy director at CISA last May after serving as the chief information officer for the state of South Dakota. He immediately took over the agency’s top role in the absence of a permanent CISA director.
Gottumukkala’s tenure was marked by a wave of departures that has led to deep uncertainty at the nation’s top cyber defense agency. His departure comes as CISA also navigates a government shutdown, with more than two-thirds of its staff furloughed.
In recent months, Gottumukkala had faced increasing congressional scrutiny after reports that he failed a polygraph test and uploaded sensitive documents to a public version of ChatGPT. Gottumukkala most recently reportedly attempted to force out CISA’s long serving CIO.
“I think most people aren’t surprised and will not miss him,” a current CISA employee told Federal News Network. “He was ineffective and out of touch with the mission. Nick will be a welcomed change.”
In a Friday evening email to CISA employees, Andersen thanked Gottumukkala for his service at the agency. He also announced that Chris Bhutera, Andersen’s deputy, will serve as acting executive assistant director for cybersecurity, as he did for several months last year.
Nick Andersen also acknowledged the “dedication” of the CISA workforce during the ongoing shutdown.
Comments
Post a Comment