The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Paul Cunningham has announced his intent to retire, a VA spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk.
The department spokesperson said that his retirement date has not yet been confirmed, though reporting by Federal News Network has Cunningham’s exit date at the end of February.
Cunningham has served as CISO and the VA’s deputy assistant secretary since 2019. Prior to joining VA, Cunningham was CISO for the Department of Energy for seven years. Including his 22 years of service in the Navy, Cunningham will end his career with over 33 years of service to the country and in the Federal government.
Cunningham’s last year as VA CISO has centered around compliance with President Biden’s cybersecurity executive order, as well as increasing cybersecurity around telehealth as use of the service has expanded exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A replacement has not been identified at this point in the process, the spokesperson said.
