Matt Hartman, a longtime cybersecurity leader at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has announced he will leave the agency on May 31 after 17 years of federal service. Hartman shared the news in a LinkedIn post, reflecting on his journey from the early days of the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) to a series of senior roles within DHS and CISA.
Hartman most recently served as Deputy Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at CISA, a role he held since February 2021. In this position, he helped lead the agency’s growing cybersecurity mission during a time of rapidly evolving threats and increasing public-private collaboration. Before that, he served in several key leadership roles at CISA and DHS, including Acting Assistant Director and Associate Director of the Cybersecurity Division, as well as Acting Director for Federal Network Resilience.
Throughout his tenure, Hartman played a significant role in shaping and executing strategic cybersecurity efforts across the federal government, including initiatives to modernize network defense, enhance information sharing, and improve incident response coordination with industry and government partners. His contributions have spanned both operational and policy realms, ranging from overseeing the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program to advising DHS leadership as Cyber Counselor to the Secretary.
Hartman’s public service career began in 2004 as a program analyst with Lockheed Martin supporting HHS, followed by consulting roles with Blackstone Technology Group and NetStar-1. He joined DHS formally in 2010 as an IT Specialist and quickly advanced through increasingly senior leadership positions.
His departure marks the end of a chapter not just for Hartman but for CISA, where he was part of the core team that helped build the agency’s modern cybersecurity footprint from the ground up. While Hartman has not yet announced his next move, he indicated he plans to stay close to the mission and community he helped shape.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
