CISA’s deputy cyber chief plans to depart 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s deputy executive assistant director for cybersecurity, Matt Hartman, is expected to soon leave the agency, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Hartman’s official last day at CISA was not immediately known, but his departure was communicated in a Tuesday all-hands meeting and confirmed by an agency spokesperson.

Hartman held multiple positions with the cyberdefense agency prior to his current position, including his role as an associate director in charge of CISA’s cybersecurity services portfolio and efforts. He also held multiple positions within the Department of Homeland Security, including director of Federal Network Resilience, Cybersecurity and Communications and director of Strategy Coordination and Management.

"Matt Hartman has been dedicated to the cybersecurity mission since before CISA was established as an agency in 2018. As an expert and leader with the agency's predecessor organization, Matt has been integral to making CISA what it is today. His leadership, insight, and guidance has shaped the amazing team that remains steadfast in our mission to safeguard the nation’s critical infrastructure against all cyber and physical threats," said acting CISA Director Bridget Bean in a statement.

Hartman’s planned departure follows the loss of multiple senior officials in 2025, including Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek, who managed much of the agency’s Secure by Design initiative. CISA’s first chief artificial intelligence officer, Lisa Einstein, also resigned in March amid the Trump administration’s mass layoffs. 

The current administration has moved to broadly reduce CISA’s workforce and called for eliminating the agency’s disinformation programs as part of its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal. Senior administration officials, such as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, have vowed to rescope the agency and get it back “on mission” amid GOP accusations that CISA censored American’s free speech in its work calling out mis- and disinformation.

Last week, she criticized the cyber agency for focusing on issues that she said diluted its mission, adding that “the thing that has alarmed me the most about CISA is the lack of information that they have, the lack of solutions that they have, and how they protect our critical infrastructure.”

The administration also disbanded the Cyber Safety Review Board — a cybersecurity oversight panel within DHS that investigates major cybersecurity incidents — in January while it was in the process of investigating the Salt Typhoon hacks, leaving the status of its ongoing review in limbo.

Hartman did not immediately return a request for comment about his departure date from CISA and his future career plans. Chris Butera, CISA's technical director for cyber, will assume the role of acting executive assistant director for CISA's Cybersecurity Division, an agency spokesperson said.

Nextgov/FCW Staff Reporter Edward Graham contributed to this report.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include comments from CISA.