TechNet Cyber 2026

Nicholas (Nick) Andersen
Acting Director
CISA


Nick Andersen is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Public Sector at Lumen Technologies. He also serves as a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Andersen previously served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) at the U.S. Department of Energy. From there, he was appointed to lead DOE’s national effort to secure U.S. energy infrastructure against all hazards, reduce impacts from disruptive events, and assist industry with restoration activities. Nick spearheaded all Department of Energy efforts to build resilience to cybersecurity threats and mitigate risks within the critical infrastructure community. He championed new policy initiatives to safeguard lifeline services that underpin our national security, economic successes, and the health and safety of the American public. CESER works closely with the electricity and oil and natural gas industries; other Federal agencies; State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) communities; and DOE’s national laboratories to advance national security and prepare for, respond to, and recover from evolving threats and events to critical infrastructure. Before joining the Department of Energy, Nick served in the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Federal Cybersecurity Lead and Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to the Federal Chief Information Officer, where he led the OMB Cyber Team and was responsible for government-wide cybersecurity policy development and compliance of shared federal security services. Andersen formerly served as CISO for the State of Vermont, where he was appointed to lead State efforts pertaining to the security and protection of data, security compliance activities, risk reduction, security operations, and threat intelligence. Prior to this, Andersen was a senior executive and senior intelligence officer serving as the Chief Information Officer for Navy Intelligence and was the Head of the Office of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Systems and Technologies at the U.S. Coast Guard. He has served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, managing intelligence mission systems in Iraq, Europe, and Africa, and has led cybersecurity and technology programs worldwide with several leading and emerging companies. Andersen holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Management and a Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance. He has received awards from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and Intelligence Community. He received the Government Information Security Leadership Award from (ISC)2 in 2018 and was named a Top 10 CISO to Watch in 2021 by Washington Executive.

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