Lili Colon

Securing the U.S. energy infrastructure is mission-critical work that calls upon our leaders to have a clear vision and strategy to bolster and make resilient safeguards that keep cyber, physical, and natural hazard risks at bay.

With a commitment to excellence and an experienced eye, Lili Colon dedicates her work as Principal Deputy Director with the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) towards securing our Nation’s energy infrastructure by leveraging more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology and Cybersecurity positions within government and industry.

At the heart of this work, is an understanding that collaboration is key to keeping the lights on and the grid secure. Through the years, Lili has led large teams to mission-success while managing agency budgets and keeping operations running efficiently and on time. In her current role, Lili empowers her teams to create, manage, and execute effective programs that ensure resiliency and security within the U.S. energy infrastructure.

Most recently, Lili served as the Deputy Associate Director for the Integrated Operations Division within the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In this role, she worked to minimize the impact to our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure by establishing operational and leadership support within the Agency’s 24/7 Operation Center. Lili also served as the deputy cochair to the COMM-ISAC and supported CISA’s operational processes in response to Emergency Support Functions #2: “Communication” and #14: “Cross-sector Business and Infrastructure” responsibilities under the National Response Framework.

Previously, Lili served as the Chief for Strategic Planning and Resource Management for the Cybersecurity Division within CISA. Their work was integral in managing strategy, policy coordination, integrating program planning, and performance of a $1.2B annual budget.

Furthermore, she was responsible for maturing the Division’s annual operating plans and long-term strategy to achieve national cybersecurity objectives. This required Lili to establish multiple agency strategic policy development planning efforts and coordinate engagements to support the Department of Homeland Security’s broader mission to increase resilience in our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure and reduce exposure to cyber risks.

During her time as the Chief of Staff for the Enhanced Shared Situational Awareness (ESSA) presidential initiative, Lili drove the initiative’s mission to increase the speed and quality of cyber information sharing among cyber mission partners through the development of critical partnerships, implementation of communications strategies, and operational and capacity-building best practices. In addition, she led day-to-day operations, internal and external communications issues, assessed policies, and served as a liaison between internal and external stakeholders.

Throughout her career, Lili has honed her expertise through various Information Technology/Cybersecurity Positions in the government and private sectors relating to the Certification and Accreditation Process, Cybersecurity Curriculum Manager, Information Assurance, Cyber Strategic Planning, and Security Policy Development.