Every month we recap the biggest tech hires and departures in the D.C. area over the past month. To get hiring and other local innovation news daily, sign up for The Beat newsletter. Here’s our list of the top hires in D.C. tech for February:
1776
- 1776 announced Feb. 15 that Penny Lee will join the startup incubator as Chief Strategy Officer. Lee has worked in Democratic politics in the past for the Democratic Governor's Association and for Senator Harry Reid. She also serves as Chair to K Street Capital, a regional angel investor group with close ties to 1776. Lee will lead all operations across the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland region, according to a release.
Internet Association
- On Feb. 16, the Internet Association announced Michael Bloom has joined the organization as Director of Federal Government Affairs. Bloom comes to Internet Association from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office, where he served as a senior advisor, according to a release.
The Crypsis Group
- McLean, Va.-based The Crypsis Group hired its first CEO Feb. 8. Brett Padres will take over the 30-person company that intends to steal away customers from larger groups like FireEye and McAfee. The Crypsis Group focuses on helping companies manage and understand their cyber attacks and coming up with individual solutions to prevent future ones. Under Padres' leadership, the company plans to focus on creating individualized solutions for clients while also recruiting talent from competitors. Before Padres was hired, managing partner Mike Wagner performed the CEO duties.
ThreatConnect
- Arlington, Va.-based cybersecurity company ThreatConnect has added former Sourcefire CEO John Becker to its board of directors. According to a press release, Becker has been known to focus on building a company's financial performance, executive hires and company operations. Becker was CEO of Sourcefire, an intelligent cybersecurity solutions company, when it was acquired by Cisco for $2.7B in 2013.
Silent Circle
- Fairfax, Va.-based Silent Circle, a secure mobile communications company, announced on Feb. 13 that it appointed Gregg Smith as its new CEO. Smith most recently was the CEO of Optio Labs, a mobile security company. While there, he expanded the company's solutions portfolio, market-leading customers and partners.
- Silent Circle also announced on Feb. 13 it had added FireEye Vice President and Global Government Chief Technology Officer William "Tony" Cole to its board of directors. Cole is well-known for helping governments understand today's advanced threats.
Appian
- Appian, the Reston-based BPM and case management software company, announced that Bobbie Kilberg, President and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, has been appointed to its Board of Directors.
The Department of Veteran Affairs
- The Department of Veteran Affairs appointed a new acting chief information security officer on Feb. 6. The VA moved its most recent CISO, Roopangi Kadakia, to the role of clouding implementation expert in its Enterprise Program Management Office, and subsequently named Dominic Cussatt acting CISO. Cussatt was an executive in the VA Office of Information and Technology's Enterprise Cybersecurity Strategy team.
Canvas
- Reston, Va.-based Canvas has hired Tristan Cotter as its VP of Sales to head its global direct sales team. Before joining Canvas, Cotter was the VP of Sales in North America at Social Tables. Canvas is a mobile platform that works to help businesses automate their workflow.
