Department of Energy Chief Information Officer Michael Locatis will join the Department of Homeland Security as its new Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications at the National Protection and Programs Directorate.
“Mike brings a wealth of experience in information management, cybersecurity and public safety communications at all levels of government,” DHS Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity Mark Weatherford said. “In his new role, Mike will work collaboratively with public, private and international partners to ensure a safe and secure cyberspace with a focus on protecting federal and critical infrastructure networks. Mike and his team will also coordinate and provide support for a resilient communications system for federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments and critical infrastructure personnel.”
Locatis replaces Greg Schaffer as assistant secretary for CS&C. Bobbie Stempfley, who served as interim acting assistant secretary, will return to her role as deputy assistant secretary.
Locatis’ bio:
As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Department of Energy (DOE), Michael Locatis serves as the principal information management advisor to the Secretary of Energy and as the senior IT official for the DOE. Mr. Locatis promotes Department-wide innovation and effective operations by engaging stakeholders across the entire DOE complex. Through collaboration with national laboratories, program executives, DOE Federal information management staff and contractors, external agency partners and strategic industry partners, he establishes strategy, policy, direction and a skilled workforce that best support DOE’s mission and objectives.
Mr. Locatis also assumes several leadership roles to help drive government-wide transformation. He serves on the Federal CIO Council as a member of the Executive Committee and as co-chair of the Management Best Practices Committee. Mr. Locatis serves as a member of both the President’s Domestic Policy Council’s Strong Cities Strong Communities (SC2) initiative and the President’s Management Advisory Board (PMAB) IT sub-committee.
Mr. Locatis is among the few to have led major transformation initiatives within local, state and federal governments, and has done so in light of extreme budget constraints. Having served as Deputy Chief Information Officer for the State of California (appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger), Chief Information Officer for the State of Colorado (appointed by Governor Bill Ritter), and Chief Information Officer for the City and County of Denver (appointed by Mayor John Hickenlooper), Mr. Locatis came to DOE with a comprehensive understanding of information management within the interconnected government ecosystem. Throughout his public career, he has not only achieved rapid culture shifts, he has also led the successful adoption of statutory reform, cloud, consolidation, workforce reshaping and 3-1-1 citizen service implementations for mission enablement.
Mr. Locatis currently serves on the board of CSIA, Colorado’s Technology Association, and served as a member of the executive committee and co-chair of the Security and Privacy Committee for NASCIO (National Association for State Chief Information Officers) and as a director on the board to the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO).
Prior to his work in the public sector, Mr. Locatis held various leadership roles within private-sector information and communications technology companies ranging from successful venture backed start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.
