Emery Csulak, former principal deputy chief information officer at the Department of Energy, has been promoted to chief data officer and he will be responsible for developing data utilization strategies to support the DOE mission, according to his official bio on the department’s website.

Csulak will also oversee efforts to improve how DOE manages, disseminates and protect information.

His LinkedIn profile indicates he joined the department in January 2019 as chief information security officer after four years in the CISO role at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

He led the establishment of CMS’ Cybersecurity Integration Center as part of a $2.6B information technology program and served as co-chair of the Department of Health and Human Services’ task force that analyzed cybersecurity challenges in the health care sector.

Cuslak also worked as deputy CISO at the Department of Homeland Security and helped DHS develop its Information Security Performance Plan and Scorecard in accordance with the Federal Information Security Management Act.

He became a founding member of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program during his tenure at DHS.

Guidehouse has added two experienced environmental executives, Sharon Burke and Jon Powers, as senior climate and energy advisors.

The consulting company said Wednesday that Burke and Powers will aid in Guidehouse’s ongoing efforts alongside the U.S. Department of Defense to maintain sustainability procedures and meet energy protocols.

Ed Meehan, defense segment leader and partner at Guidehouse, shared that the company is “extremely honored” to appoint the two executives advisorship. He explained that they will play an instrumental role in meeting the needs of a customer base that is launching a number of broad scope endeavors centered on environmental mindfulness and “delivering positive social impact through their projects and services.”

“We are looking forward to [Burke and Powers’] support, extensive knowledge and leadership to further the solutions we bring in helping the DoD advance their mission,” Meehan, who is a former winner of the Wash100 Award, continued.

Burke brings extensive knowledge of climate security, energy security, defense and critical mineral subjects to her new role. She has spent time in U.S. Congress, as well as the State Department and the Pentagon, including as assistant secretary of Defense for operational energy in the Obama administration.

Additionally, Burke founded and is president of environmental research and advisory firm Ecospherics and has overseen civic organizations such as the Center for a New American Security. Among her work’s principal focuses are seeking a way to serve both national security and environmental sustainability concerns and how to best create lasting change in these fields through policy measures.

Powers’ skill set lies in clean energy, in addition to sustainability and national security, aligning him with Burke. He also worked in the Obama administration as federal chief sustainability officer in charge of climate, renewables and sustainability practices for the government.

Furthermore, Powers served in the U.S. Army in Iraq and held the position of special advisor for energy to the assistant secretary of the Army, pushing for innovation in the branch’s approach to energy. In 2015, he established CleanCapital, an investment platform for clean energy, where he currently works as president and head of business development.

The newly appointed senior climate and energy advisors are poised to assist Guidehouse in helping its customers tailor their procedures and services to recent legislation such as the October 2021-released executive order climate adaptation plans.

Laurie Locascio, former vice president for research at the University of Maryland, has assumed leadership of the National Institute of Standards and Technology nearly two weeks after the Senate approved her nomination.

As, NIST’s 17th director, she will provide guidance for the agency’s collaboration with the government, commercial and academic sectors to incorporate standards, technology and measurements into product and service innovation, the agency said Tuesday.

Locascio will also hold the title of undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology.

She previously spent 31 years at the agency prior to her appointment at the public university in late 2017.

Her NIST career started in research biomedical engineering work and later she was promoted as acting principal deputy director and associate director for laboratory programs.