Andrea Simpson named Chief Information Security Officer at Howard University

Howard University named Andrea Simpson as Chief Information Security Officer. Simpson previously held CISO roles with the Federal Communications Commission and AmeriCorps. She will work within the Office of Enterprise Technology Services on policy development and strategic planning.

Howard University's executive vice president and chief operating officer, Tashni Ann-Dubroy, introduced Simpson as its new Chief Information Security Officer, the Howard University newsroom reports. Dubroy said Simpson is part of the unit fortifying the technical infrastructure behind the university's learning, human capital, and research sustainability and growth, according to the newsroom.

The newsroom says Simpson holds a master's degree from the Information and Telecommunications Systems program at Johns Hopkins University's Carey School of Business and Management. According to the university, her professional experience in the cybersecurity industry spans more than 20 years. The newsroom lists her accomplishments as ranging across contract management, technology deployment, audit reconciliation, and cyber incident management and recovery. At the FCC, Simpson directed the pilot program for deploying government-issued laptops in the agency's telework initiative, which was part of its pandemic response plan, the university says. The university says she also identified duplicate web application firewalls, which allowed more than $200,000 to be reallocated to other IT efforts. She resolved a Government Accountability Office audit that had 11 findings within a year, according to the newsroom.

The Federal Communications Commission reports that Simpson, its chief information security officer, had served as acting CIO since March, after deputy CIO Shaun Costello held that role for five months.

Howard University, founded in 1867, is a private research university made up of 14 schools and colleges, according to the newsroom. According to the university, its more than 140 programs of study lead to professional, graduate and undergraduate degrees. In fiscal year 2023, Howard University's consolidated operating revenues were $1.07 billion, a decline of $78 million or 7%, the university reports.