Kiersten E. Todt is the former Chief of Staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). As the Chief of Staff, she was responsible for the planning, allocation of resources, and development of long-range objectives in support of the department’s goals and milestones; she provided strategic vision, guidance, and direction to ensure CISA’s Director was prepared to interdict or respond to threats to the homeland. She oversaw the management and execution of an almost $3B budget and over 3,000 employees and contractors.
Current Work
She currently serves in an advisory role to CISA’s Director. She is also a strategic advisor to venture capital firms and to the Data and Trust Alliance, which is a CEO-led cross-sector industry effort to create standards for data provenance and high-risk use of artificial intelligence. She also serves on Boards of technology companies, which are focused on open source software, memory safe language, and neurodiversity.
Co-founder, Non-Profit
Prior to her role at CISA, Kiersten served as the Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI), a non-profit initiative that convenes senior executives of global companies to develop free cybersecurity tools and resources for small businesses, worldwide. She co-founded CRI in 2017 with the CEOs of Mastercard and Microsoft, the former Secretary of Commerce, and the retired CEO of IBM.
Federal Service and Support
In 2013, she was asked by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to manage the private sector input for development of the Voluntary Cybersecurity Framework called for in President Obama’s 2013 Executive Order 13636 on cybersecurity and drafted the language in the Framework targeted at senior business executives and their role in corporate cybersecurity.
In 2016, she served as Executive Director of President Obama’s independent, bipartisan Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. In this role, she led the twelve commissioners, who were leaders from industry, government, academia, and law enforcement, to develop a consensus document of cybersecurity recommendations for the incoming Administration. She also led a staff of over 75 individuals.
Ms. Todt served as a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. She worked for the Committee Chairman, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and was responsible for co-drafting the cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness, bioterror, and science and technology directorates of the legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to her Committee role, she worked in the personal office of Senator Lieberman and focused on economic policy and appropriations. Before working in the Senate, Ms. Todt served in the Office of the Vice President on domestic policy issues.
Kiersten started her career in the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under Director Barry R. McCaffrey and was responsible for addressing demand-reduction issues.
Private Sector
Kiersten started her own company, Liberty Group Ventures, LLC in 2013, where she developed risk and crisis management solutions for clients in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She also advised senior executives and Boards on cyber risk management, including the development and execution of tabletop exercises.
Her private sector experience also includes being a partner at Good Harbor Consulting, where she managed the domestic practice of the company and oversaw a multi-million dollar budget and over 30 employees. She also served as a consultant for Sandia National Laboratories and for the California Governor’s Office to develop the homeland security preparedness plan for the Bay Area.
Media/Teaching
Ms. Todt’s commentary on cybersecurity, homeland security, artificial intelligence, technology, and sport security issues has been featured in national television and print media outlets including NBC, CBS, CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, NPR, Fox News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fortune, and Business Insider. She was also an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University.
Education
Ms. Todt graduated from Princeton University, with a degree in public policy from the School of Public and International Affairs and a certificate in African-American studies. She holds a master’s degree in public policy and a certificate in negotiation and conflict resolution from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
