Government

Gottumukkala out, Andersen in as acting CISA director

The move follows a story about criticisms of CISA’s performance during the first year of the Trump administration, with Madhu Gottumukkala’s leadership a point of contention.

By Tim Starks

February 26, 2026

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Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifies during the DHS oversight hearing in the Cannon House office building on Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Madhu Gottumukkala is out as acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, with current agency executive director for cybersecurity Nick Andersen replacing him as the interim leader.

News of Gottumukkala’s departure breaks one day after CyberScoop reported on widespread dismay with the agency’s performance during the first year of the Trump administration, with significant criticism aimed at Gottumukkala’s leadership on both sides of the aisle after a number of unflattering stories about his stewardship.

“Madhu Gottumukkala has done a remarkable job in a thankless task of helping reform CISA back to its core statutory mission,” a Department of Homeland Security official told CyberScoop Thursday. “He tackled the woke, weaponized, and bloated bureaucracy that existed at CISA, wrangling contracts to save American taxpayer dollars.”

Gottumukkala, served as chief information officer under then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, now secretary of DHS, before he was picked as deputy director of the agency. Sean Plankey’s nomination to serve as full-time director of CISA has stalled, leaving Gottumukkala as the acting director in his place.

Gottumukkala will take on a new role at DHS, as director of strategic implementation. Andersen has won more favorable reviews from industry and cyber professionals during his tenure at CISA than did Gottumukkala, whom some still praised for his technical acumen.

ABC News first reported the news on the Gottumukkala and Andersen moves. The news comes the same day as reports about another leadership change at the agency, with Cybersecurity Dive first reporting on the exit of Robert Costello as CISA CIO.

While some officials CyberScoop spoke to for its story about CISA this week believed the agency had some duplication, most thought the Trump administration had cut far deeper than needed, damaging the agency.

Andersen has held several IT and cybersecurity roles in the public sector over the past two decades, including positions at the Coast Guard, Navy and Department of Energy.