FBI selects cyber, IT executives

FBI Director Christopher Wray, on Aug. 14, named a number of new top and mid-level directors for cybersecurity and IT positions at the agency.

Wray appointed Amy Hess, former special agent in charge of the FBI's Louisville Division and executive assistant director for the Science and Technology Branch, as executive director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch. Hess is a 27-year FBI veteran, having begun serving in 1991 at the agency's Kansas City field office where she worked violent crime, gangs and drug trafficking investigations, according to the FBI.

Matt Gorham, who was a special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division at the Washington field office, was named assistant director of the Cyber Division. Gorham also came up through FBI ranks from its Pittsburgh field office, which has led a number of high-profile cybersecurity probes.

Along with the new cybersecurity executives, Wray also named some key IT personnel.

Michael Gavin will serve as assistant director of the IT Applications and Data Division. Gavin had most recently been special agent in charge of the Memphis field office. He entered FBI service in the agency's Las Vegas field office in 1995 and was a member of its SWAT team there.

Marlin Ritzman is now the assistant director of the Information Management Division. He was most recently special agent in charge of the Anchorage field office. He began service at the Kansas City field office in 1990. He was also has SWAT, firearms and police instructor experience, according to the agency.

The announcements come after a wave of high profile departures, first reported by the Wall Street Journal. For instance, on July 24, Howard Marshall, former deputy assistant director in the agency's Cyber Division, became intelligence director for Accenture's cyber threat intelligence service. Jeffrey Tricoli, an FBI cyber section chief in charge of the agency's task force looking into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, is now senior vice president of business and cyber resiliency at Charles Schwab Corp.