Executive Mosaic founder and CEO Jim Garrettson presented Katie Arrington, chief information security officer (CISO) for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (OUSDA) for the Department of Defense (DoD), her first Wash100 Award for pivotal her role in the DoD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) initiative.
During Potomac Officers Club’s CMMC Virtual Forum in June, Arrington discussed the various ways the Department of Defense (DoD) has prepared for integration, including pathfinders, requests for information (RFI) and training the CMMC accreditation body (AB) as the event’s keynote speaker.
She also discussed some of the concerns that have come from both industry and federal sectors in terms of developing a unified cybersecurity maturity model. Arrington said that previous models that have caused challenges in the implementation and adaptation process.
“We will make sure that our partners have a great foundation to build off of. We all understand what is going on and I know you do too. We will work together to take this further than just the DoD,” Arrington concluded during her keynote address.
About a month later, Arrington revealed her expectation that the Pentagon’s new cybersecurity vetting program would certify 7,500 companies by 2021. Arrington said that DoD plans to release requests for proposals that include CMMC version 1 requirements following the implementation of amendments in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).
In addition, Katie Arrington, alongside Rep. Robin Kelly D-Ill. and fellow Wash100 Award recipient Rep. Will Hurd R-Texas, released a white paper discussing the future relevance of artificial intelligence in the country’s workforce and education.
The report tackles how the U.S. may incorporate AI curricula into the country’s education system in support of workforce needs in the emerging field. The government will release the other three white papers in weeks to come.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Katie Arrington for her 2020 Wash100 Award selection. Her leadership and vision to push DoD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification initiative demonstrates her value to the government contracting (GovCon) sector and its future.
For the second time, Katie Arrington will be featured as the keynote speaker during Potomac Officers Club’s next CMMC Forum on Nov. 17th. Arrington will analyze the meaning of “process maturity” and the concept of “evidence” of maturity for CMMC while additional federal and industry leaders who will discuss the requirements and priorities of implementing the certification, including scoping of CMMC assessments, supply chain impacts and C3PAOs.
Visit the Fall 2020 CMMC Forum page on PotomacOfficersClub.com to register for the must-see virtual event. You can still register to watch many of POC’s recent virtual events in Potomac Officers Club’s Event Archive.
