IBM security executive emerges as possible contender to lead CISA

Tom Parker, a security services lead at IBM with some two decades of experience in the cybersecurity industry, has emerged as a potential contender to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency after the most recent nominee withdrew himself from consideration for the role, according to five people familiar with the matter. 

Parker does not have prior government experience. As of now, he is the preferred choice for the Trump administration, one of the people said. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has been favoring a CISA director with only private sector experience, another one of the people said.

All sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly communicate details concerning the administration’s thinking. Some of the people cautioned that the process is fluid and that the White House may go in a different direction. 

Parker did not respond to a request for comment. Nextgov/FCW has also asked the White House and DHS for comment.

Parker has held a number of roles in industry throughout his career. He founded cyber solutions firm Hubble, which was acquired in 2024. He was also inducted as a technology pioneer at the World Economic Forum, and he has for years been a speaker and panelist at Black Hat, an annual cybersecurity conference held in Las Vegas.

CISA has been without a permanent director since President Donald Trump retook office last year. For the last year, Sean Plankey had been nominated to lead the cyberdefense agency, but withdrew late last month after being caught up in issues concerning Coast Guard cutter contracts with a GOP senator. 

Nick Andersen has been leading the agency in an acting capacity since its previous acting leader, Madhu Gottumukkala, left in February following a series of leadership incidents during his tenure.

The agency has lost around a third of its workforce in the last year amid Trump administration efforts to shrink the size of the federal government and address other long-prevailing GOP concerns about the cyber agency’s activities. 

Parker has previously opined on the federal cyber reductions.

“I think because an agency changes shape and/or the mission moves to other agencies doesn’t mean that the government doesn’t see the mission as being more or less important anymore. I think it’s important to not assume that that’s the case,” he said in a Dark Reading podcast recording last year.

CISA's parent agency, DHS, has just emerged from a record funding lapse. A major trade association for government contractors warned last week that it will take time for federal operations to return to normal and for some contractors to get financial relief from missed reimbursements due to the shutdown.