Katherine “Katie” Arrington currently is the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, ASD(A), for Cyber. In this position, she serves as the central hub and integrator within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, OUSD(A&S), to align acquisition cyber strategy.

As the cyber lead and programmatic analytic advisor for strategic cyber programs, Ms. Arrington is responsible for conducting analysis within the major defense acquisition program portfolio and across the Department of Defense. This cross functional analysis will ensure transparency within the acquisition strategy, interoperability between enterprise networks, and compliance strategies for cyber initiatives. She also meets with key Cyber personnel (across both DoD and Federal Agencies) as well as legislators to ensure that changes made in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are supportive in reaching the goals of decreased spending and increased compliance with current and future standards. The final focal point will be on protecting the Department’s intellectual property/data and securing our weapon systems and critical infrastructure.

Before assuming her position in OUSD(A&S), Ms. Arrington had an extensive career as a legislator and senior cyber executive. Ms. Arrington was a candidate for South Carolina US House of Representative 2018 and a South Carolina State Representative for 2 terms. She has substantial experience and capabilities in cyber strategy, policy, enablement and implementation across a wide range of domains, including DoD, Federal, Healthcare and State. She acquired her experience in cyber over the past 15 years with Booz Allen Hamilton, Centuria Corporation and Dispersive Networks. This has given her the unique experience of working at a large business, small business and non-traditional contractor for the government. She attended Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.