Cybersecurity Policy Report, CISA Has New Nominee to Fill Director Position, (Nov 10, 2026)
Michael LoSapio, chief information security officer (CISO) for Palantir Technologies, Inc., has been nominated by President Trump to be director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, according to a list released yesterday by the White House of nominees sent to the Senate.
Mr. LoSapio has been Palantir’s CISO for more than two years and previously was the company’s group lead for infrastructure and network security, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is also a volunteer firefighter in Warren, New Jersey.
“As CISO at Palantir, I've scaled a security organization built to stand up to the most advanced adversaries: well-resourced nation-state actors with the patience to sit inside a complex environment for months before they make a move,” he said in a description of his responsibilities at Palantir.
“The team is excellent because the people on it know the systems they defend cold and that's the bar I hold everyone to. How I lead, though, took shape long before this job. I was a volunteer fire chief, and that's where I learned to keep my head when it counts and people are relying on me to get it right,” he said.
CISA has been without a Senate-confirmed director since the resignation of Jen Easterly on the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Jan. 20, 2025. A previous nominee, Sean Plankey, dropped out of the running after 13 months of limbo (CPR, April 23).
Mr. Plankey’s nomination had been advanced by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee but stalled on the way to the Senate floor because of “holds” placed by, among others, Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), over an unrelated issue—a report on telecom sector cybersecurity that CISA was refusing to release.
It’s unclear whether the Senate will find time to consider Mr. LoSapio’s nomination during the lame-duck session that marks the end of the 119th Congress. CISA’s current acting director is Nick Andersen.
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