Chris DeRusha (pictured) has worked in the White House before, but through the second half of 2020 he was CISO for the Biden presidential campaign, and after election day joined the transition team, working on technology strategy and delivery.
The US government’s CIO, Maria Roat, a US Navy veteran, tweeted: “Welcome aboard Chris DeRusha, our new Federal CISO!”
DeRusha’s previous time in the White House was when Biden was vice president to President Barack Obama.
He’s also worked for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the state of Michigan and Ford Motor, all in cyber security roles.
Media covering the US federal IT world quoted Greg Touhill, the Obama-era CISO, saying: “Chris understands the government cyber landscape at both state and federal levels. He faces significant challenges as he assumes this important post at this pivotal time in history.”
Sean Connelly, manager of trusted internet connections at DHS, tweeted: “Having Chris as the Federal CISO is a win-win for all!!”
