White House cyber czar Howard Schmidt plans retirement
The Obama administration's senior cyber official announces he's retiring to spend more time with family.
Howard Schmidt, the White House cybersecurity coordinator, is stepping down after serving two and a half years.
Schmidt made the announcement May 17, saying he’s retiring in the end of May to spend more time with his family and to pursue teaching in cybersecurity, the Washington Post reports.
President Barack Obama picked Schmdit to be the nation's top cybersecurity official, and Schmidt took the reins on Dec. 22, 2009. He spearheaded the creation of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, a public-private collaboration that aims to create an "Identity Ecosystem" to protect citizens and businesses on the Internet by authenticating their identities.
In addition to his 45 years of public service, which began at the U.S. Air Force and included a stint with the FBI, Schmidt has held positions at eBay and Microsoft.
Michael Daniel, head of the Office of Management and Budget’s Intelligence Branch in the National Security Division, is replacing Schmidt, according to the report.