CISA sees leadership shakeup after infrastructure security chief moves to ONCD

Steve Casapulla, an infrastructure security executive in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is being detailed as the assistant national cyber director for policy in the White House’s cyber office, prompting a slew of leadership shifts inside CISA, sources tell Nextgov/FCW.

With Casapulla pivoting to the Office of the National Cyber Director, Scott Breor — an associate director for the agency’s security programs — will take up his post leading the Infrastructure Security Division, according to one current U.S. official, one former U.S. official and a third person familiar with the matter. 

Sean Haglund, an associate director in CISA’s Office of Bombing Prevention, will serve as ISD’s acting deputy director, added the sources, who requested anonymity to communicate their knowledge of the new positions.

Chip Abernathy, who has served in the agency’s Office of the Chief of Staff, is moving to the National Risk Management Center to serve as an acting assistant director, while leadership for CISA’s Strategy, Policy and Plans office will be announced in the coming days, the people familiar also said.

Casapulla’s pivot comes shortly after Thomas Lind left his post heading policy at ONCD. The move was first reported by Politico. Alexandra Seymour also recently left her role as a deputy policy official in ONCD, Nextgov/FCW first reported.

CISA and ONCD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Significant morale decline at ONCD — attributed in part to misgivings from government and industry over the office’s handling of cyber-AI issues under director Sean Cairncross — has plagued the White House office, with some staff weighing departures, multiple people have described to Nextgov/FCW in recent weeks.

CISA, meanwhile, is working to hire a few hundred staff in the coming months, acting Director Nick Andersen said this week. CISA has lost a significant share of its workforce over the past year as the Trump administration has moved to reduce the size of and restructure the agency through a mix of layoffs, buyouts, early retirements and program cuts.

Andersen told a largely private sector audience on Tuesday that CISA is poised for renewed growth and “significant investments,” citing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s recent testimony that the agency needs to hire about 600 more employees. CISA has already begun work on an initial plan to fill 329 “mission-critical” roles, with about 180 tentative job offers expected by the end of June, he said.