David McKeown, a former Wash100 Award winner, has been appointed special assistant for cybersecurity innovation at the Chief Information Office of the Department of Defense, effective Dec. 16.
The DOD CIO announced on LinkedIn Saturday McKeown will be responsible for developing and overseeing the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, with a focus on handling complex challenges of innovation. He will bring years of expertise in cybersecurity, telecommunications, application development, project management and policy development to his new role.
David McKeown Career Summary
McKeown most recently served as the deputy CIO for Cybersecurity and the chief information security officer. In this dual role, he provided oversight in the area of cybersecurity and oversaw the development and maintenance of the cybersecurity program across the DOD. Gurpreet Bhatia will succeed McKeown in both roles albeit in an acting capacity.
The executive previously worked at the Department of Justice as director of Enterprise Services where he supervised the department’s information technology strategy. He also held leadership roles with the Joint Service Provider, particularly as chief of both the Enterprise Services Center and Cyber Security Center. The IT professional also spent almost two years as director of Enterprise Information and Mission Assurance for the Army Information Technology Agency.
McKeown was also part of the Air Force for 15 years. He last served as chief of the Information Assurance Division where he managed the AF IA Program. He was also the division chief of the Current Operations and Network Operations and commanded various communication units and squadrons.