DOW CIO Announces New Senior Leaders

U.S. Department of War Chief Information Officer (CIO) Kirsten Davies announced new additions to her senior leadership team, hoping to accelerate digital modernization, strengthen cybersecurity and enhance collaboration with the defense industrial base (DIB).

According to a press release, Kayla Huthoefer Nelson will serve as the chief of staff for the Office of the CIO; Marci McCarthy will be the director of external engagements; Ryan McArthur will serve as the special advisor to the CIO for capability development and operational excellence; David Vaughn will be the technical advisor for data infrastructure; and Vishal Aswani will transition from chief of staff to the temporary role of special advisor for transformation.

Huthoefer previously held senior roles at BAE Systems and Clarity Innovations, where she gained experience advising leaders at the intersection of government, the defense industrial base and defense technology, the release stated. She also served as the defense adviser to the Colorado Aerospace and Defense Economic Council.

“The work ahead is urgent and consequential: eliminating inefficient spending, reducing technical debt, accelerating modernization, strengthening cybersecurity, promoting commercial-first innovation, expanding partnerships and workforce development, and unleashing AI and data technologies from the core to the edge across the Joint Force,” Huthoefer shared via LinkedIn.

McCarthy previously served as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s director of public affairs, and according to the release, she will shape the CIO’s strategic communications and engage with industry, allies and partners.

McArthur is a retired U.S. Army signal chief warrant officer who previously served as the federal chief technology officer at Zscaler and leader of the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability program at the Defense Information Systems Agency. He will guide the department’s emerging technology initiatives, the release said.

Vaughn is an Army chief warrant officer 4 and has held senior advisory roles at DISA and the 75th Innovation Command. His new role will require his expertise in data and artificial intelligence, according to the release.

In addition to working within the department, Aswani has experience working for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. In his temporary role, he will guide the Office of the CIO’s organizational and business-process changes.

“I am thrilled to welcome this world-class group of leaders to the team,” Davies said in the release. “Their collective expertise in cybersecurity, defense innovation and enterprise-level strategy is exactly what we need to accelerate our mission. Their leadership will drive transformation across the entire CIO enterprise, cutting through bureaucracy to deliver secure, cutting-edge technology to our warfighters. We are accelerating our work to bring innovative technologies to the fight, support the IT requirements of AI and engage meaningfully with our allies, partners and the DIB. This team's mission is to ensure America’s fighting force has the decisive digital advantage on any battlefield, and they will make that a reality.”