Kiersten E. Todt becomes Chief of Staff at CISA

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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.

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.

In the announcement CIAS said:

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced today Kiersten E. Todt as the Agency’s 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.

Full bio of Kiersten E. Todt

Kiersten E. Todt is the Chief of Staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). As the Chief of Staff, she is responsible for the planning, allocation of resources, and development of long-range objectives in support of the department’s goals and milestones; she provides strategic vision, guidance, and direction to ensure CISA’s Director is prepared to interdict or respond to threats to the homeland.

Prior to her role at CISA, Kiersten 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 co-founded CRI in 2017 with the CEOs of Mastercard, Microsoft, PSP Partners, and the retired CEO of IBM.  She was also the non-resident scholar at the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security.

Prior to her CRI role, Ms. Todt was the CEO of Liberty Group Ventures, LLC (LGV), where she developed risk and crisis management solutions for cybersecurity, infrastructure, homeland security, emergency management, and higher education clients in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.  Ms. Todt advised senior executives and Boards on cyber risk management, including the development and execution of tabletop exercises and senior-level education and training programs.  She also provided strategic advice and counsel to senior leaders in industry and government.  Ms. Todt was 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.

She 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 incoming Administration.

Ms. Todt was also a partner at Good Harbor Consulting and was responsible for building and managing the company’s North America crisis management practice.  Before joining Good Harbor, she worked for Business Executives for National Security (BENS) and was responsible for integrating the private sector into state and local emergency management capabilities, following Hurricane Katrina; she also worked with the White House to develop the Federal Maritime Security Strategy.  Prior to BENS, she was a consultant for Sandia National Laboratories and worked with the California Governor’s Office to develop the homeland security preparedness plan for the Bay Area. Ms. Todt was an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University.

Ms. Todt served 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 directorates of the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security.  Prior to her Committee role, she worked in the personal office of Senator Lieberman and focused on economic policy and appropriations.   Before working in the Senate, Ms. Todt served in the Office of the Vice President on domestic policy issues.

Kiersten started her career in the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under Director Barry R. McCaffrey, and was responsible for addressing demand-reduction issues.

Ms. 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.

Ms. Todt 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.  She 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.

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