Report: Most of CISA’s senior leaders are leaving the agency

Most of the senior leaders at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, have left or will do by the end of the month.

Cybersecurity Dive reported the development today, citing an internal agency memo sent last week. The departures mark at least the third round of workforce reductions at CISA since the start of the year.

“CISA is doubling down and fulfilling its statutory mission to secure the nation’s critical infrastructure and strengthen our collective cyber defense,” Bridget Bean, the agency’s executive director, said in a statement responding to the latest workforce reduction.

Formed in 2018, CISA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that protects critical infrastructure from hackers. It also operates cybersecurity training programs and performs related tasks. The agency reportedly had about 3,300 workers before the layoffs began.

Last Thursday, CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala informed staffers in an email that multiple senior leaders have left. Several more are set to follow suit in the coming days. According to Cybersecurity Dive, the departures will leave five of CISA’s six operational divisions and six of its 10 regional offices without senior leadership.

Each of the agency’s 10 regional offices is responsible for cybersecurity programs in multiple states. Those branches are responsible for, among other tasks, helping local governments prepare for cyberattacks. CISA can also support breach recovery efforts.

Trent Frazier, the acting head of the agency’s Stakeholder Engagement Division, reportedly resigned on May 2. The group is responsible for managing CISA’s relationships with external parties such as critical infrastructure operators. Steve Harris, the acting head of the Infrastructure Security Division, left two weeks after Frazier.

In the Thursday memo, Gottumukkala stated that the deputy executive assistant director of CISA’s Emergency Communications Division will step down as well. He also confirmed the previously reported departure of two other officials. One of them is Boyden Rohner, the head of the Integrated Operations Division that manages CISA’s cybersecurity activities.

The job cuts extend beyond the agency’s core divisions and regional offices. According to Cybersecurity Dive, the agency’s chief strategy officer and chief financial officer will leave on Thursday. Chief Contracting Officer Juan Arratia and Chief Human Capital Officer Blair Duncan have already left.

The development comes shortly after the Trump administration released its 2026 budget proposal. The document calls for a $491 million funding cut to CISA, which amounts to 17% of its current budget. The proposed plan would see the agency shutter several offices.

CISA has experienced multiple rounds of layoffs since the start of the year. In January, a number of officials responsible for election security were reportedly placed on leave. CISA later laid off at least 200 other staffers including members of its red team, which tests the cybersecurity posture of critical infrastructure. In March, a judge ordered the agency to rehire many of the workers affected by the job cuts.

Photo: Robert Hof/SiliconANGLE

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