Nick Andersen
{{short description|United States government official}}
{{orphan|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Nicholas Andersen
| image = Nick Andersen.jpg
| education = Brown University (MS)
| office = Assistant Secretary of Energy, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
| termstart = October 2020
| status = Acting
| president = {{plainlist|
}}
| predecessor = Sean Plankey
| termend = January 20, 2021
| successor = Puesh Kumar
| party = Republican
| branch = US Marine Corps
| battles = Operation Iraqi Freedom
}}
Nicholas (Nick) Andersen is a cybersecurity professional with extensive experience in both government and private sectors. He served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and performed the duties of the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) at the U.S. Department of Energy where he led national efforts to secure U.S. energy infrastructure against various hazards.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-02 |title=SCYTHE Library: CISO Stressed Episode 5: Nick Andersen |url=https://scythe.io/library/ciso-stressed-episode-5-nick-andersen |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=scythe.io |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Nick Andersen: Everyone is a Target - Lessons from the School of Security Hard Knocks |url=https://pod.co/lessons-from-the-school-of-cyber-hard-knocks/nick-andersen |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=pod.co}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-16 |title=Is Energy's decision not to name a political appointee to oversee cyber a mistake? |url=https://federalnewsnetwork.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2022/05/is-energys-decision-not-to-name-a-political-appointee-to-oversee-cyber-a-mistake/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=federalnewsnetwork.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEigSFu7noc |title=Cybersecurity, Energy Security, Emergency Response - Nick Andersen, U.S. Department of Energy |date=2021-01-19 |last=Dots and Bridges |access-date=2025-01-21 |via=YouTube}}
Education
Andersen earned a Bachelor of Science degree from American Military University, a Master of Science degree from Western Governors University, a Master of Science degree from Brown University, and an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.{{Cite web |title=2021 AFCEA TechNet Cyber: Session Speaker: Nicholas (Nick) Andersen |url=https://events.afcea.org/afceacyber21/public/SpeakerDetails.aspx?FromPage=Speakers.aspx&ContactID=142164 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=events.afcea.org}}
Career
Prior to his role at the Department of Energy, Andersen was the Federal Cybersecurity Lead and Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to the Federal Chief Information Officer at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In this capacity, he led the OMB Cyber Team and was responsible for government-wide cybersecurity policy development and compliance of shared federal security services.{{Cite web |date=2019-08-26 |title=Vermont Cybersecurity Expert Departs for Trump White House |url=https://www.govtech.com/people/vermont-cybersecurity-expert-departs-for-trump-white-house.html |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=GovTech |language=en}}
Andersen also served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the State of Vermont,{{Cite web |date=2018-12-19 |title=Vermont's New CISO Comes with Years of High-Level Experience |url=https://www.govtech.com/people/vermonts-new-ciso-comes-with-years-of-high-level-experience.html |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=GovTech |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Freed |first=Benjamin |date=2018-12-19 |title=Vermont hires new cybersecurity chief, ending 10-month vacancy |url=https://statescoop.com/vermont-hires-new-ciso-nicholas-andersen/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=StateScoop |language=en-US}} overseeing the state’s data security and compliance initiatives.{{Cite web |title=AGENCY OF DIGITAL SERVICES HIRES CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER {{!}} Office of Governor Phil Scott |url=https://governor.vermont.gov/press-release/agency-digital-services-hires-chief-information-security-officer |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=governor.vermont.gov |language=en}} His earlier career includes significant roles in military and intelligence sectors, such as Chief Information Officer for Navy Intelligence and Head of the Office of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Systems and Technologies at the U.S. Coast Guard. He served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, managing intelligence mission systems in Iraq, Europe, and Africa. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In the private sector, Andersen has held leadership positions including Chief Information Security Officer for Public Sector at Lumen Technologies{{Cite web |last=Sybert |first=Sarah |date=2021-02-17 |title=Lumen Technologies Names Nick Andersen as Public Sector CISO |url=https://executivegov.com/2021/02/lumen-technologies-names-nick-andersen-as-public-sector-ciso/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=executivegov.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Former DoE CESER Official Joining Lumen as Public Sector CISO |url=https://meritalk.com/articles/former-doe-ceser-official-joining-lumen-as-public-sector-ciso/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=meritalk.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2021-08-17 |title=Cybersecurity in a rapidly changing environment |url=https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-tech-talk/2021/08/cybersecurity-in-a-rapidly-changing-environment/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=federalnewsnetwork.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2021-06-03 |title=Continued Funding From Congress Key For Government Cybersecurity, Expert Says |url=https://broadbandbreakfast.com/continued-funding-from-congress-key-for-government-cybersecurity-expert-says/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Broadband Breakfast |language=en}} and President/Chief Operating Officer at Invictus International Consulting, LLC.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Andersen - Chief Operating Officer |url=https://invictusic.com/team-bios/nick-andersen |website=Invictus |access-date=2025-01-21}} He has also been associated with the Atlantic Council as a nonresident senior fellow with the Cyber Statecraft Initiative.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Andersen |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/nicholas-andersen/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Atlantic Council |language=en-US}}
Andersen was cited as a contributor to A Budget for America's Future - President's Budget FY 2021,{{Cite web |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |date=February 10, 2020 |title=A Budget for America's Future – President's Budget FY 2021 |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/budget_fy21.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/budget/ |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |access-date=January 20, 2025 |via=Trump White House Archive}} an Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) task force report on mitigating the growing risks associated with IT and cybersecurity consolidation,{{Cite web |last=Brenner |first=Bill |date=2024-10-04 |title=ICIT launches task force to address risks of IT and cybersecurity consolidation |url=https://www.scworld.com/resource/icit-launches-task-force-to-address-risks-of-it-and-cybersecurity-consolidation |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=SC Media |language=en}} and the CSIS Commission on Federal Cloud Policy report.{{Cite web |website=CSIS |last=Lewis |first=James Andrew |date=2025-01-16 |title=Faster into the Cloud: Working Group Discussion Papers |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/faster-cloud-working-group-discussion-papers}}
Andersen is a member of the Republican Party and serves on the Republican Party of Virginia's State Central Committee as an elected member from the 11th Congressional District and is appointed by the State Chairman to serve as the State Party's Budget Director.{{Cite web |title=State Central Committee |url=https://virginia.gop/state-central-committee/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Republican Party of Virginia |language=en-US}}
As of January 2025, Andersen is considered a potential candidate for key cybersecurity roles in the administration of President Donald Trump.{{Cite web |last=Geller |first=Eric |date=January 20, 2025 |title=X Post from Eric Geller (Journalist) |url=https://x.com/ericgeller/status/1881423954025308428 |access-date=January 20, 2025 |website=X}}{{Cite web |last=Sabin |first=Sam |date=2025-01-15 |title=Trump is zeroing in on his pick to lead the top U.S. cyber agency |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/01/15/trump-cisa-nomination-sean-plankey-nick-andersen |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Axios |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Starks |first=Tim |date=2024-09-03 |title=Who would be the cyber pros in a second Trump term? |url=https://cyberscoop.com/trump-cybersecurity-second-term-white-house-cisa/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=CyberScoop |language=en-US}}
References
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