CISA Acting Director to Address GovCons at Wednesday’s Homeland Security Summit

Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala/CISA

Potomac Officers Club, the D.C. region’s foremost GovCon events and media organization, will host its highly anticipated 2025 Homeland Security Summit this Wednesday, Nov. 12 — and tickets are almost gone. With the addition of Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director and deputy director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the event’s keynote lineup is now complete. Register for this essential GovCon event now!

Who Is Madhu Gottumukkala?

Gottumukkala will take the morning keynote slot immediately following Department of Homeland Security Secretary (and Wash100 Award winner) Kristi Noem, under whom he served during her time as governor of South Dakota. Their back-to-back remarks will offer attendees an inside view of how DHS and its lead cybersecurity agency are coordinating on modernization, resilience and partnership in a changing threat landscape.

Before joining CISA, Gottumukkala led South Dakota’s Bureau of Information and Technology as commissioner and chief information officer. There, he spearheaded system modernization and digital transformation initiatives, replacing outdated legacy systems and accelerating the adoption of cloud and emerging technologies, according to an interview with Government Technology. With more than two decades of experience spanning IT, telecom and health tech, Gottumukkala has built a reputation for blending innovation with fiscal precision.

What Will Gottumukkala Discuss at the Homeland Security Summit?

As CISA’s acting head during a period of scrutiny and reorganization, Gottumukkala is expected to outline at the summit how the agency is redefining its mission and forging new public-private collaboration strategies. His remarks will preview CISA’s near-term direction — including how it plans to partner with GovCon leaders, manage emerging cyber risks, and support DHS’s broader modernization goals.

For industry professionals, this is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the official now helping steer America’s civilian cybersecurity agenda — and to ask questions in a live, interactive format.

What Else Should DHS Summit Attendees Expect?

The 2025 Homeland Security Summit will also feature keynotes from Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Gary Owen, chief operating officer of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Across the day’s five expert panels, leaders will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming homeland security — including sessions on AI at the border, AI-enabled cybersecurity and AI in commercial off-the-shelf solutions. The agenda also includes a discussion on contested logistics on the homefront, which will examine operational resilience and supply chain strategy in domestic missions.

Why This GovCon Conference Is Unmissable

This year’s summit has drawn one of the largest sponsor rosters in Potomac Officers Club history, led by LMI as the lead platinum sponsor. Additional platinum sponsors include SAIC, Procentrix, Capgemini, ManTech, Red Hat, Accenture, Slalom, Exiger, SkySafe, Peraton, AT&T, BigBear.ai, T-Mobile, Clearview AI, Heven Aerotech, Constellis and Percipient.ai — along with gold sponsors AKIMA, Virtualitics and Cognyte, and silver sponsors LogicMonitor, Trellix, Google Public Sector, RELI Group, Wiz and Recorded Future.

This unprecedented sponsorship level reflects the event’s importance as a cross-sector meeting ground for government and industry. Attendees can network with DHS leaders, ask direct questions during live Q&A sessions and compare insights with peers shaping the future of homeland security technology.

Seats are nearly gone for this year’s Homeland Security Summit. Make sure your organization is represented and secure one of the few remaining tickets today!