CISA gets new No. 2: Madhu Gottumukkala

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will soon have a new second-in-command.

Madhu Gottumukkala has been named deputy director. He comes over to CISA from his prior position in the South Dakota government, where Kristi Noem was most recently governor before taking over as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Gottumukkala had been commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunication (BIT) and state chief information officer.

He’ll leave BIT on May 16. A CISA spokesperson confirmed that Gottumukkala would become deputy director of the agency.

”Serving the people of South Dakota as State Chief Information Officer and Commissioner of BIT has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” Gottumukkala said in a statement Thursday. “I look forward to continuing to protect and strengthen the nation’s digital and physical infrastructure at a time when it matters most.”

In the prior administration, Nitin Natarajan held the post of deputy director for the entirety of President Joe Biden’s term.

The nominee for No. 1 at CISA, Sean Plankey, is awaiting a Senate hearing — but Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has placed a hold on his nomination as he seeks release of a document on mobile security.

Gottumakkala is a graduate of Dakota State University, a hub of cyber activity in the Midwest.

“We are pleased to recognize the appointment of Madhu Gottumukkala as deputy director of CISA,” Dakota State President Dr. José-Marie Griffiths said in a statement. “As a distinguished Dakota State University alum, his unwavering dedication to public service and cybersecurity continues to inspire.”