DHS Cybersecurity Chief on Loan from Carnegie Mellon
Posted by StormWarning on 29 Jun 2006 at 08:38 am | Tagged as: Current Affairs, Domestic Terrorism, National Security, Opinions, Technology
He’s on loan from Carnegie Mellon University and has a two-year contract worth $577,000 (total).
Cyber Security Chief in Homeland Security Department Under Scrutiny
U.S. lawmakers are questioning a two-year, $577,000 contract for the acting cyber security chief.
Donald ”Andy” Purdy Jr. "…is employed by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, which has loaned him to the Homeland Security Department in exchange for the government paying nearly all of his salary. Meanwhile, Purdy’s cybersecurity division has paid Carnegie Mellon $19 million (euro15.12 million) in contracts this year, almost one-fifth the unit’s total budget.
Purdy said he has not been involved in discussions over his office’s business deals with the school…"
…"Frankly, it’s a very competitive market place out there, and I could make a lot more in the private sector,” said Purdy, a former White House cybersecurity adviser and the former top lawyer at the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
His former boss and predecessor as cybersecurity chief, Amit Yoran, earned $131,342 (euro104,513) before he resigned abruptly in October 2004. Chertoff agreed one year ago to create a position of DHS assistant secretary over cybersecurity, but the job hasn’t been filled. Carnegie Mellon is highly regarded among experts who study hacker attacks and software flaws. Its Software Engineering Institute works closely with the Defense Department, which last year renewed a five-year, $411 million (euro327 million) contract with the research center…
Purdy seems qualified (his predecessor Amit Yoran certainly was IMO), but the contract with the University makes him quite expensive.
Current Affairs, Domestic Terrorism, National Security, Opinions, Technology
