The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) announced on Monday a change of the guard as its General Counsel Liz Gasster will replace a departing Paul Kurtz as executive director of the organization in 2007.
Kurtz will leave his position at CSIA at the end of the year to join Good Harbor Consulting as partner and chief operating officer. He was instrumental in establishing CSIA as one of the most influential information security lobbying organizations in Washington.In just three years at the helm he doubled membership and gained enough clout to give the industry a better voice in cyber security policy in the U.S. and Europe.
"As Paul departs CSIA, we are well-positioned to move forward on our 2007 priorities, which are critical to the overall security and resiliency of the global information infrastructure," Gasster said. "I look forward to driving our agenda forward, with the support and guidance from CSIA's board of directors and members."
In conjunction with the announcement of the management shakeup, CSIA outlined its priorities for 2007. Top among concerns was the establishment of federal legislation to ensure the privacy and security of personal information. Also important is the strengthening of the Federal Information Security Management Act, following a disastrous year full of breaches such as the loss of data by Veterans Affairs.
Additionally, in the coming year the organization hopes to help shape the cyber security agenda at the Department of Homeland Security and to expand CSIA's influence in Europe. Gasster will lead the organization toward all of these goals when she assumes her new role on Jan. 1.
"During the past months, Liz has worked side-by- side with Paul to achieve the organization's goals," said John Thompson, CSIA chairman and CEO of Symantec. "Under her leadership CSIA will continue our efforts to implement appropriate public policy, effective security technology, high industry standards and support from governments worldwide."
