Fortress adds former Congressman John Katko to its advisory board

August 22, 2023

John Katko, a former U.S. Congressman and New York Republican has joined the advisory board of Fortress Information Security (Fortress), a vendor of critical supply chain cyber security. Katko joins advisory board members Norm Willox, Ben Miron, Emily Murphy, Brian Harrell, and Anna Cotton.

The Fortress board of directors includes Alex Santos, Kassabov, Linkun Wan, Alex Weiss, Vivek Shivananda, Rich Katz, Lisa Porter, and Joon Park.

Katko, an original co-sponsor of the legislation that created the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and a driving force behind the multiple increases in funding CISA received after its inception. He offers a unique perspective on how policy and legislation can drive industry action on cybersecurity.

Earlier this year, Katko was named to the CISA advisory board by CISA Director Jen Easterly. He served four terms in the U.S. Congress from 2015-2023 and was the Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee. Previously, Katko was an Assistant U.S. Attorney who led the organized crime division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Syracuse, New York.

“Our nation’s most critical assets face challenges that threaten our national security. Government and the private sector must collaborate to mitigate the risks posed by nation-state actors looking to inflict economic, physical, and societal harm,” Katko said in a media statement. “Fortress provides a means for entire industries to team up and protect themselves from supply chain cyber threats and deal with newly emerging threats originated by the software supply chain and AI. I look forward to working with co-founders Alex Santos and Peter Kassabov, as well as the entire Fortress team.”

“There are few people who understand the cybersecurity challenges facing the federal government like former Congressman Katko. The distinguished Congressman is a trusted voice who can help Fortress and our clients navigate an ever-changing set of cybersecurity rules and regulations,” according to Santos, CEO of Fortress. “Furthermore, we add another top mind to our team of experts working to protect critical infrastructure supply chains operations from hostile nation-states and skilled threat actors.”