Jen Easterly Appointed CEO of RSAC Conference Amid Cybersecurity Inflection Point

Jen Easterly, a seasoned cybersecurity practitioner with decades of experience in both public and private sectors, has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RSAC Conference (RSAC). The appointment follows her leadership of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where she served for over three years, overseeing critical security operations and resilience initiatives.

RSAC's Role and Strategic Evolution

RSAC, formerly RSA Conference, is a leading global organization rooted in cybersecurity. Founded in 1991 as a small cryptography-focused event hosted by RSA Security, the entity has since evolved into a standalone company with year-round initiatives and a flagship annual conference in San Francisco—attracting tens of thousands of attendees, experts, vendors, and researchers each spring. Under Easterly’s leadership, RSAC aims to deepen its global footprint while expanding its focus on innovation, with plans to enhance the "innovation sandbox," early-stage expo, and startup ecosystem. These efforts will prioritize supporting next-generation AI-driven cyber companies and secure-by-design innovators, aligning with what Easterly terms a "moment of inflection" in the cybersecurity landscape.

Industry Context: AI, Policy, and Cross-Border Collaboration

The cybersecurity industry stands at a pivotal juncture, driven by AI tools that simultaneously empower attackers and defenders. Security experts now face the critical task of securing AI platforms and their underlying infrastructure, while policy shifts—particularly under the Trump administration—are reshaping private-sector partnerships and global security frameworks. Easterly emphasizes that RSAC’s role is to "bridge these challenges through collaboration," noting the universal nature of security and resilience: "They affect every country, every industry, every citizen."

Career Trajectory and Departure from CISA

Easterly’s background spans diverse security roles: deployments in the U.S. Army, service at the National Security Agency (NSA), establishment of U.S. Cyber Command within the Department of Defense, and nearly five years leading global cybersecurity at Morgan Stanley before joining CISA in 2021. Her departure from CISA followed the Trump administration’s decision not to retain her during the 2024 transition. Trump publicly criticized CISA’s election integrity work under her leadership and her predecessor, Chris Krebs. Additionally, the U.S. Army directed the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to rescind an employment offer for her as the Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair in Social Sciences, citing unspecified reasons.

Independent Leadership and RSAC’s Non-Partisan Vision

Easterly, a "lifelong independent," frames her leadership as non-political. She asserts, "Cybersecurity is not a political endeavor, RSAC is certainly not a political organization, and I am not a political person." Instead, she prioritizes trust, collaboration, and cross-border community building. RSAC, she explains, will continue to bring together officials, technologists, and innovators across administrations and borders, leveraging forums like its conference to foster "magic" in collective problem-solving.

[Update Note]: This article has been updated to clarify that RSA Conference LLC’s flagship cybersecurity event has been rebranded as RSAC Conference.