Essye Miller named acting DOD CIO

Essye Miller is now the Defense Department's acting CIO, the agency has confirmed.

Miller currently serves as the DOD's deputy CIO for cybersecurity and chief information security officer. She'll be acting CIO following John Zangardi’s departure to join the Department of Homeland Security. Miller's new appointment is effective Dec. 8.

As acting CIO, Miller will spearhead the department’s cybersecurity efforts, including policies, procedures and partnerships, and serve as Defense Secretary James Mattis' primary advisor for IT, information assurance, non-intelligence space systems, critical satellite communications, telecommunications, navigation and timing programs, and spectrum, according to her updated biography. Miller will retain her official duties as deputy CIO of cybersecurity and senior information security officer.

The Defense Department CIO position has seen a lot of turnover this year with former CIO Zangardi who was acting CIO before taking over from Terry Halvorsen who joined Samsung earlier this year. Miller's appointment makes her the department’s second acting CIO this year and part of a growing trend of temporary federal CIOs in the Trump administration.

In March, Miller was recognized with Federal 100 honors for her cyber strategy work. Before joining the DOD CIO office, she served as the Department of the Army’s cybersecurity director in 2016, helping reshape its cybersecurity posture, and also held a senior post in the Air Force.