The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has named Nick Andersen, executive assistant director for cybersecurity, acting director as Madhu Gottumukkala moves to a new position at the Department of Homeland Security, ABC News reported.
Leadership transitions at agencies like CISA highlight ongoing developments across the federal cybersecurity community. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Cyber Summit on May 21 will convene federal and private sector leaders for discussions on key cybersecurity issues. Register now!
In January, the White House renominated Sean Plankey, former director for cyber policy at the National Security Council, to serve as director of CISA. He has yet to receive a Senate confirmation hearing.
What Will Be Madhu Gottumukkala’s New Role at DHS?
Gottumukkala, who has been serving as acting CISA director and deputy director, will transition to the role of director of strategic implementation at DHS, according to a department official.
A DHS official said Gottumukkala “has done a remarkable job in a thankless task of helping reform CISA back to its core statutory mission” and “will continue his work to save taxpayer money” in his new position.
Who Is Nick Andersen?
Andersen serves as CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity. In that role, he leads efforts to address cyberthreats and vulnerabilities and strengthen the security and resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure.
The U.S. Marine Corps veteran previously served as principal deputy assistant secretary and performed the duties of assistant secretary for the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response.
He has also held leadership roles in the private sector, including president and chief operating officer at Invictus and chief information security officer for the public sector at Lumen Technologies.
Earlier in his career, he served as federal cybersecurity lead and senior cybersecurity adviser to the federal chief information officer at the White House, as well as chief information security officer for the state of Vermont. Andersen holds graduate degrees in cybersecurity and information security and assurance, as well as a certificate in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
What Is CISA?
CISA is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that defends national, digital and physical infrastructure from cyberthreats.
CISA has taken several recent actions to address urgent cyber risks across federal networks, including issuing an emergency directive to mitigate critical Cisco SD-WAN threats; releasing a guide to advance secure operational technology communications; issuing a directive to strengthen edge device security; and publishing guidance to address insider threats.
