Elizabeth A. Cappello recently retired as the Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
As DCIO, Ms. Cappello is responsible for leading transformative initiatives and securing, operating, and maintaining enterprise infrastructure. She arrived at DHS OCIO in August 2019 and served as the Acting CIO from November 2019 – May 2020.
During her tenure, Ms. Cappello initiated and implemented the DHS Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) and the Cyber Security Provider (CSP) programs and led the technology support for the DHS transition to full-time remote work during the COVID-19 crisis. In partnership with the DHS Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO), Ms. Cappello directed the development of a comprehensive acquisition strategy and plan for the DHS primary data center to recompete a 12-year-old contract worth as much as $2 billion, the transition from GSA Networx contract to new Enterprise Information Solutions (EIS) worth $5 billion over contract life, and extended the contract for the second DHS enterprise data center while finalizing the exit strategy.
Prior to assuming her current role at DHS Headquarters, Ms. Cappello served as the Acting CIO and Deputy CIO for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While at ICE, she led several large technology initiatives, including a nearly seamless migration to cloud infrastructure, the retirement of legacy mainframe dependency, a 100% reduction in the agency’s footprint at DHS data centers, and an enhanced ability to meet growing capacity and performance requirements. She oversaw the deployment of Microsoft Office 365, the design and implementation of Software Defined Networking, and led Security Operations Center (SOC) optimization efforts, creating the first DHS certified SOC services provider.
Ms. Cappello entered the Senior Executive Service (SES) as the Executive Director, Field Support Directorate within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Information Technology, providing direct technology services to the largest federal law enforcement agency.
Ms. Cappello began her federal service as a U.S. Marine and has more than 30 years of government leadership and management expertise. She served in the legacy U.S. Customs Service at the National Data Center and at field offices in Southern California.
