Biden picks new national cyber director after Kemba Walden upset

The White House has set its sights on a former National Security Agency executive director to fill the role of national cyber director, marking the latest twist in the race to appoint a permanent expert to the post.

On July 25, the Biden administration announced Harry Coker Jr. as its pick to succeed former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, who left the job earlier this year.

Acting Director Kemba Walden had been the frontrunner to replace Inglis—the first person to hold the relatively new position created in 2021—until unexpected concerns about her personal finances surfaced and she withdrew from consideration.

Coker held leadership positions spanning four decades in the Navy, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the NSA, including a stint as that agency’s executive director. He’s also held board positions with military-linked organizations including Dog Tag Inc., a bakery and reentry program for veterans, and the maritime museum Historic Ships in Baltimore.

Walden, a former attorney in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, had served as Inglis’s deputy and backfilled his vacancy on an interim basis. During her time with the Office of the National Cyber Director, she led the release of the National Cybersecurity Strategy and its implementation plan, which set out priorities for the next decade of cyber defense.

She’d gathered support for remaining in the role from key lawmakers, including the House Homeland Security Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, and the co-chairs of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Sen. Angus King and Rep. Mike Gallagher. Walden is also one of the most prominent Black, female leaders in the cybersecurity field, which is slowly diversifying after historically being dominated by white men, IT Brew previously reported.

However, her permanent confirmation process fell apart after issues with her “high debt load” surfaced, the Washington Post reported in mid-July.

Michael Daniel, president of the Cyber Threat Alliance, told IT Brew in an email that while it’s a “mistake” for the administration to pass over Walden, “Harry Coker will bring many good qualities to the job and should make a strong National Cyber Director.”

“He has a wide range of experience in the defense and intelligence communities and has been a leader at very senior levels for large organizations, experiences which will serve him well as NCD,” Daniel said. “He has also spent some time outside of government, and he should bring that valuable perspective to the table.”

Daniel noted it’s important for the Senate to speed Coker’s confirmation so he can get to work “building and maturing” the nascent national cybersecurity director’s office, as well as helping to shape the next fiscal year of government cyber programs.