Karen Evans
Senior Advisor

An executive who served in three Presidential-appointed positions in two administrations with 30 years of experience focused on cybersecurity, national security, technology innovation and supply chain risk management.

Among the most respected cybersecurity executives in the nation, Karen Evans is the Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, a non-profit initiative that convenes business leaders
from across sectors and geographic regions to create free cybersecurity tools for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Its mission is to advance the cyber readiness of CMBs to improve the security of global supply chains.

From June 2020 to January 2021, she was the former Department of Homeland Security’s Chief Information Officer where she oversaw the largest civilian IT Portfolio in the federal government, comprised of more than 4000 IT investments totaling $7.3 billion supporting a wide range of mission-critical national security initiatives.

Earlier, from September 2018 until February 2020, she was a United States Senate confirmed, Presidential Appointed executive, who served as the first Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity,
Energy Security and Emergency Response at the U.S. Department of Energy (CESER). Here she provided the strategic direction, leadership and management to develop solutions in artnership with private industry to address the emerging threats of tomorrow while protecting the reliable flow of energy to Americans today by improving energy infrastructure security and supporting  the Department of Energy’s (DOE) national security mission.

Prior to being named Assistant Secretary at DOE, Ms. Evans was the national director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a public-private partnership focused on building the cyber workforce. Ms. Evans served as the Administrator for the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the George W. Bush administration. At OMB, she oversaw nearly $71 billion in annual IT funds, including implementation of IT throughout the federal government. Previously, she served as the CIO for DOE and at the director level with both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Farmers Home Administration.

Karen holds an MBA from West Virginia University.