Nick Andersen, a Marine veteran and former Department of Energy cybersecurity official, began his role as the executive assistant director for cybersecurity in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the office announced Tuesday.
Andersen has both public and private sector experience. He was previously president and chief operating officer at cyber company Invictus, and also chief information security officer at enterprise tech provider Lumen’s public sector unit. He is also a former nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative.
From 2019 to 2021, in President Donald Trump’s first term, Andersen served both as the principal deputy assistant secretary and performed the duties of assistant secretary for the Department of Energy’s Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response unit. He was also the CISO for the State of Vermont, and, prior to that, held intelligence roles in the Navy and Coast Guard.
Andersen was in talks for several months to be named for a role in CISA, people familiar with the matter previously told Nextgov/FCW. He joins as the executive associate director for cybersecurity after Chris Butera served in the position in an acting capacity. Butera will now be acting deputy executive assistant director, CISA said in a statement.
Before Butera, Karen Evans — who is now working at the Federal Emergency Management Agency — served in the role amid major workforce reductions inside the cyberdefense agency that saw nearly a third of its staff depart.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to join CISA and the trust placed in me by President Donald Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem,” Andersen said in a prepared statement. “Having led organizations in both the public and private sectors, I deeply appreciate the vital role a robust cyber defense agency plays in securing our nation’s critical infrastructure. My career has been dedicated to defending America, and I look forward to continuing that mission at CISA.”
