Federal Tech Chiefs Highlight Evolving Priorities

Admiral Linda L. Fagan assumed the duties as the 27th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard on June 1st, 2022. As Commandant, she oversees all global Coast Guard operations and 42,000 active-duty, 7,000 reserve, and 8,700 civilian personnel, as well as the support of 21,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers.

She previously served as the 32nd Vice Commandant. Prior flag assignments include Commander, Pacific Area, and Commander, Coast Guard Defense Force West; Deputy Commandant for Operations, Policy, and Capability; Commander, First Coast Guard District; and a joint assignment as Deputy Director of Operations for Headquarters, United States Northern Command.

Admiral Fagan has served on all seven continents, from the snows of Ross Island, Antarctica to the heart of Africa, from Tokyo to Geneva, and in many ports along the way. Operational tours include Commander, Sector New York, more than 15 years as a Marine Inspector, and sea duty in USCGC POLAR STAR, a 399 ft heavy polar icebreaker. Staff assignments include Executive Assistant to the Commandant and Vice Commandant, and Division Chief of the Foreign and Offshore Compliance Office.

Possessing extensive interagency as well as intergovernmental experience, Admiral Fagan has worked with both the International Maritime Organization and International Labor Organization on flag state and port state issues. This work includes the development of the International Ship and Port Security Code (ISPS), and the Consolidated Maritime Labor Convention.

Admiral Fagan holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a Master of Science in Marine Affairs degree from the University of Washington, and a Master in National Resource Strategy degree from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. She has earned numerous personal and team awards during her 37 years of Coast Guard service. Admiral Fagan is the longest serving active duty Marine Safety Officer and holds the distinction of being the Coast Guard’s first-ever Gold Ancient Trident.

Amber Pearson is the Deputy CISO and Executive Director of Information Security Policy and Strategy for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information and Technology. In this role, she is the principal advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Security (DAS), and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). She is responsible for advancing cybersecurity and privacy strategies that balance requirements with business objectives in support of the VA mission. She oversees the implementation and promulgation of cybersecurity policies throughout the department with the primary goal of ensuring information security risks are managed using a risk-based approach within Federal guidelines and industry standards.

Prior to her role as Executive Director, Ms. Pearson served as the Head of U.S. Government Security Compliance Engagement at Amazon Web Services (AWS) with the responsibility of providing security assurances of AWS security and privacy claims to regulators, auditors, and customers. She had direct oversight and responsibility for delivering business outcomes that aligned with U.S. regulatory compliance. Ms. Pearson led the charge in creating a Chatbot technology that aimed to build trust with customers and streamline compliance inquiries for regulated customers. Through this development, AWS had the capability to enhance the customer experience, improve response times, and reduce common security compliance friction points.

Before joining the private industry, Ms. Pearson served in public service leadership roles for over 19 years with the last position as the Deputy CISO and Director of Compliance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In this role, she led the security implementation of a collaboration tool under the White House Taskforce for COVID-19 with the primary focus and goal of delivering a secure collaboration tool to be used across multiple agencies in response to a global pandemic. Under her leadership, the agency’s security posture improved significantly, earning her the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Business Excellence Award for transforming FEMA’s cybersecurity program. Ms. Pearson’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding federal government systems and providing actionable security guidance has led to innovative solutions to improve cybersecurity programs.