After departing the Pentagon late last year, where she served as acting chief information officer (CIO) at the Department of Defense (DOD), Katie Arrington has taken a new role as chief information officer at quantum computing company IonQ.
Arrington’s first day at IonQ was Jan. 19, the company announced.
In her new role, Arrington will oversee the protection and modernization of IonQ’s global enterprise systems. Her responsibilities include safeguarding digital assets and supply chains and strengthening operational and cyber resilience as the company expands its global footprint.
Arrington returned to the Pentagon as chief information and security officer (CISO) last year after serving in several private sector roles and running for Congress in 2022, according to her LinkedIn page. Shortly after, she was named acting CIO of the DOD, which the Trump administration has rebranded as the Department of War.
Arrington first joined the Pentagon during President Trump’s first term in office, serving as the DOD’s CISO for acquisition and sustainment from 2020 to early 2022. Before that, from 2019 to 2020, she was special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, focusing on cybersecurity issues across the DOD’s acquisition and sustainment organizations.
Notably, during her time at the DOD, Arrington was regarded as a key architect of the department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. The program aims to enhance the cybersecurity posture of the defense industrial base and contractors by requiring them to meet minimum cybersecurity standards to bid on contracts.
As acting CIO, Arrington was a vocal proponent of CMMC as the framework advanced and became a final rule in Fall 2025.
IonQ also announced that Leslie Kershaw, currently with IonQ Capella, will move into a newly expanded role as chief information security officer. Kershaw will report to Arrington.
As CISO, Kershaw will be responsible for meeting federal and commercial cybersecurity requirements, managing enterprise cyber and physical security, and ensuring security capabilities scale with IonQ’s commercial growth.
Kershaw brings nearly two decades of cybersecurity leadership experience. Her background includes service as cyber technical director for Space Delta 6 in the U.S. Space Force, where she guided cyber architecture and operational readiness for teams operating across 13 globally dispersed locations.