- Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek announced they are leaving CISA
- Neither said where they would go next
- Resignations and redundancies could be causing a brain drain at CISA
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has lost two senior officials on the same day. Bob Lord, and Lauren Zabierek both announced they were leaving the agency on LinkedIn, in the span of an hour.
Bob Lord served as a Senior Technical Advisor at CISA since 2022. Before that, he was the Chief Security Officer at the Democratic National Committee from 2018, where he joined after spending roughly two years as Yahoo’s Chief Information Security Officer.
Lauren Zabierek, on the other hand, was a CISA senior advisor with previous roles in Recorded Future, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Brain drain
Both expressed their gratitude for being given the opportunity to serve their country, and neither said where they would go from here.
In a new report, The Record says that the departures are the latest sign of a “brain drain” that’s taking place at CISA. “The Trump administration could soon axe up to 1,300 employees, cutting about half of CISA’s full-time staff, and another 40% of its contractors,” it said.
The publication also reminded that the agency also tried to fire 130 probational staffers but was blocked by the court. Also, the Department of Homeland Security tried to buy out employees who voluntarily resigned by April 14.
CISA Executive Director Bridget Bean said the agency “remains laser-focused on working across the public and private sectors to improve the nation’s cybersecurity.”
“This is why we continue to urge companies to develop products that are secure by design, instead of passing the cost of poorly designed products on to consumers,” she added. “While CISA’s approaches to Secure by Design evolve, our commitment to the principles remain steadfast. I thank Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek for helping to lay the foundation on which future work in this space can be built.”
Via The Record
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