Karen Evans joins CISA as a senior advisor

Sydney Phoenix/DHS

Evans is a former DHS CIO and Energy Department cybersecurity official who's had a long career contributing to the U.S. cyber and technology landscape.

Former Department of Energy cyber official Karen Evans has joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as senior advisor in its cybersecurity division, according to an internal advisory obtained by Nextgov/FCW that was confirmed by the agency.

Evans, an appointee in President Donald Trump’s first term, served as the first assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response at the Energy Department. She also previously served as the CIO for the Department of Homeland Security.

She was most recently managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, which, according to its website, seeks to “empower small and medium-sized enterprises with free tools and resources to help them become more secure and resilient.”

Before her role at Energy, Evans led the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a public-private initiative aimed at strengthening the cyber workforce. She also contributed to Trump’s first transition team, handling government technology management. During the George W. Bush administration, she was administrator for the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology in OMB and oversaw its $71 billion governmentwide IT spending portfolio.

In early November, Politico reported Evans and others as potential candidates to lead CISA.

The future of CISA in the incoming Trump administration remains uncertain, as GOP allegations of censorship stemming from the agency’s interactions with social media companies over mis- and disinformation — claims that former director Jen Easterly and other ex-officials have adamantly refuted — played a prominent role in a recent Supreme Court case, which ultimately cleared CISA’s efforts.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a staunch CISA critic who has backed the censorship allegations, now holds the top position on the Senate’s Homeland Security panel. Paul last year blocked efforts to renew CISA’s chemical security screenings after they lapsed in July 2023, and he has stated point blank that he wants to eliminate the agency altogether.

CISA has historically enjoyed bipartisan support from members aligned on the notion that cybersecurity is a national security concern and shouldn’t be mired in politicization. But some Republican claims that the agency’s misinformation efforts have targeted conservative voices in the past two years, as well as a second election win for Trump, are setting the agency on a course for potentially far-reaching reevaluation.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently said the cyber agency needs to be smaller and more nimble, adding that it should cease its work on calling out misinformation and disinformation across social platforms. 

Trump has not yet nominated leadership for CISA. Former Energy cybersecurity officials Sean Plankey and Nick Andersen — who served in the president’s first term — are among the top choices to serve as the respective leader and deputy chief of the cyber agency, according to two people familiar with the matter.