Karen Evans tapped for DHS undersecretary weeks after assuming CISA role======================================================================== Karen Evans speaks during her swearing in as assistant secretary of Energy cybersecurity on October 12, 2018. Evans was recently nominated to serve as the deputy under secretary for management at DHS. DONICA PAYNE/Department of Energy | Get the latest federal technology news delivered to your inbox.||
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[](mailto:?body=Evans%20had%20been%20selected%20as%20both%20a%20senior%20advisor%20and%20then%20executive%20assistant%20director%20for%20cybersecurity%20at%20CISA%20prior%20to%20her%20DHS%20nomination.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//www.nextgov.com/people/2025/03/karen-evans-tapped-dhs-undersecretary-weeks-after-assuming-cisa-role/404131/&subject=Nextgov.com%3A%20Karen%20Evans%20tapped%20for%20DHS%20undersecretary%20weeks%20after%20assuming%20CISA%20role) By [David DiMolfetta](/voices/david-dimolfetta/25968/?oref=ng-post-author?oref=rf-post-author)-| March 28, 2025 03:15 PM ETEvans had been selected as both a senior advisor and then executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA prior to her DHS nomination.———————————————————————————————————————————————* [Leadership](/topic/leadership/?oref=ng-article-topics)* [DHS](/topic/dhs/?oref=ng-article-topics)* [](https://x.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nextgov.com%2Fpeople%2F2025%2F03%2Fkaren-evans-tapped-dhs-undersecretary-weeks-after-assuming-cisa-role%2F404131%2F&text=Karen+Evans+tapped+for+DHS+undersecretary+weeks+after+assuming+CISA+role&via=Nextgov)* [](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nextgov.com%2Fpeople%2F2025%2F03%2Fkaren-evans-tapped-dhs-undersecretary-weeks-after-assuming-cisa-role%2F404131%2F&mini=true&summary=Evans+had+been+selected+as+both+a+senior+advisor+and+then+executive+assistant+director+for+cybersecurity+at+CISA+prior+to+her+DHS+nomination.&source=Nextgov.com&title=Karen+Evans+tapped+for+DHS+undersecretary+weeks+after+assuming+CISA+role)* 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[](mailto:?body=Evans%20had%20been%20selected%20as%20both%20a%20senior%20advisor%20and%20then%20executive%20assistant%20director%20for%20cybersecurity%20at%20CISA%20prior%20to%20her%20DHS%20nomination.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//www.nextgov.com/people/2025/03/karen-evans-tapped-dhs-undersecretary-weeks-after-assuming-cisa-role/404131/&subject=Nextgov.com%3A%20Karen%20Evans%20tapped%20for%20DHS%20undersecretary%20weeks%20after%20assuming%20CISA%20role)Karen Evans, the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was nominated Thursday to serve as Under Secretary for Management at DHS.The news comes just weeks after Evans, a former Energy Department cyber official in President Donald Trump’s first term, [assumed the CISA role](https://www.nextgov.com/people/2025/02/karen-evans-named-top-cyber-official-cisa/403304/).Evans served as the first assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response at Energy as an appointee in Trump’s first term. She also previously served as the CIO for the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to her selection for the executive assistant director role, Evans was serving as a [senior advisor](https://www.nextgov.com/people/2025/02/karen-evans-joins-cisa-senior-advisor/402701/) in CISA’s cybersecurity division.Prior to joining CISA, Evans most recently worked as managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, which, according to its website, seeks to ’empower small and medium-sized enterprises with free tools and resources to help them become more secure and resilient.’Evans led the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a public-private initiative aimed at strengthening the cyber workforce, before taking up her position at Energy under the first Trump administration. She also contributed to Trump’s first transition team, handling government technology management. During the George W. Bush administration, she was administrator for the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology in the Office of Management and Budget and oversaw its $71 billion governmentwide IT spending portfolio. 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