CESER Leadership
Emily Burdick
Director (Acting) and Principal Deputy Director
Emily Burdick serves as the Director (Acting) and Principal Deputy Director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). At CESER, she advances the Department of Energy’s (DOE) mission to strengthen the security and resilience of the energy sector. In this role, she is responsible for safeguarding the nation’s energy systems against evolving cyber and physical threats, enhancing preparedness and response, and fostering partnerships across federal, state, local, and private-sector stakeholders.
Prior to her current role, Burdick served as both the Chief of Staff for the Office of the Under Secretary of Energy and for CESER. As Chief of Staff, she was instrumental to guiding CESER’s organizational priorities to address rising energy demand and evolving cyber and physical threats.
Burdick has extensive experience in energy and cybersecurity policy, legislative affairs, and strategic planning from DOE to Capitol Hill to the private sector. She served as Director of Government Relations for Security & Preparedness at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), leading the industry's advocacy on grid security, preparedness, and domestic supply chains. Before EEI, Burdick served as a Senior Professional Staff Member on the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection. Additionally, during the first Trump Administration, she served in DOE’s Office of Electricity.
Burdick is a native of Long Island, New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University Maryland and an ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity credential.
Tim Kocher
Deputy Director
Tim Kocher serves as the Deputy Director in the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In this capacity, he is responsible for advancing CESER's mission to strengthen the security and resilience of the nation's energy infrastructure against evolving cyber and physical threats. He provides strategic guidance to CESER by implementing measures to strengthen critical energy infrastructure and aligning the office’s mission with the Trump Administration’s bold agenda to restore American energy dominance. Under Mr. Kocher’s leadership, CESER has saved gigawatts of electricity generation, and reduced the risk and associated cost of blackouts for American families.
Stemming from previous positions in Congress and private industry, Mr. Kocher brings a wealth of knowledge to his current role at DOE. Before rejoining CESER, Mr. Kocher managed the energy and emergency response portfolio for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). He also spent time advising on cybersecurity issues for a Big Four consulting firm.
Additionally, he served in DOE during the first Trump Administration as a Special Advisor to CESER from 2018-2021 and in the Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO) from 2017-2018.
Mr. Kocher is a native of Columbus, Ohio and studied American Government and Politics at Patrick Henry College.
Leslie Pezzullo
Chief Operating Officer
Leslie Pezzullo serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). As COO of the Corporate Business Office (CBO), Ms. Pezzullo holds a pivotal role within CESER’s office.
Her responsibilities include comprehensive oversight and strategic direction of essential business functions. This includes the management of budget formulation and execution and ensuring financial resources are allocated and utilized effectively to achieve organizational objectives. In this role, Ms. Pezzullo also oversees procurement and acquisition management, federal information technology (IT) systems, human resources, and related cross-cutting services supporting CESER’s workforce.
Ms. Pezzullo draws on more than 20 years of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) experience bringing an extensive portfolio of federal budget and business management expertise to CESER. Before joining CESER in May 2025, Ms. Pezzullo served as Deputy Director of Business Operations in the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) where she worked with state, local, and tribal governments to deploy critical energy technologies, create jobs, and improve energy efficiency. Prior to that she served as DOE’s Chief of Staff, Operations for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Ms. Pezzullo is an avid reader and loves to travel. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Steven M. McAndrews
Deputy Director of Threat Analysis and Incident Response
Steven M. McAndrews serves as the Deputy Director for Threat Analysis and Incident Response, within the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). At CESER, he strengthens the security and resilience of the U.S. energy sector by analyzing the threat landscape and ensuring decisive action during incident response.
Prior to this role, McAndrews served as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Information Management and Chief Information Officer (DCIO) at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). At NNSA, McAndrews was responsible for managing all operational, technical, and administrative aspects of NNSA’s Cybersecurity and Information Management Program. He also oversaw the integration and coordination of cybersecurity and information technology support services throughout the NNSA Nuclear Security Enterprise in support of national security goals, Department of Energy (DOE)/NNSA strategies, and the continuity of operations for critical NNSA information technology assets.
McAndrews has 16 years of experience as an IT professional with the Federal government. Prior to his current role, he served as the Director for Federal Cybersecurity at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Executive Office of the President, Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer. While there, he led numerous government-wide technology improvements and process and policy initiatives, including the rollout and response to Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. McAndrews helped to create and integrate the Office of the National Cyber Director with the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, and overhauled Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) reporting and metrics.
McAndrews is a military veteran and began his career in the U.S. Army. He worked as an IT/Cyber Policy Lead at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Chief Information Security Officer, where he managed the Vulnerability Disclosure Program and established an agency-wide security operations center assessment program. McAndrews served as the Cybersecurity Services Branch Chief at the U.S. Census Bureau, and Chief Systems Engineer at the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command.
He is a recipient of the 2025 NVTC Cyber50 Award, the 2025 Department of War CIO Award, 2025 AFFIRM Vanguard Award, 2024 NNSA Administrator Achievement Award, 2023 AFCEA Disrupter of the Year Award, 2022 GovExec FCW Federal 100 Award, 2020 NextGen Award for Government Service, numerous DHS Achievement Awards, and an OMB Special Achievement Award. McAndrews holds a Master’s of Science in Business Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor’s in Economics from Millersville University.
Daniel LaGraffe
Deputy Director of Infrastructure Hardening and Technology Development
Dan LaGraffe serves as Deputy Director in CESER’s Infrastructure Hardening and Technology Development Division, where he utilizes his technological expertise to drive advancements in energy sector security and resilience through collaborative public-private initiatives and technology deployment.
Mr. LaGraffe develops and directs programs that transform innovative solutions into deployable capabilities for utilities and grid operators. These initiatives include AI-enabled detection, component and supply chain assurance, system level resilience, and cybersecurity support for smaller utilities, municipalities, and cooperatives. He leads multidisciplinary research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) across DOE national laboratories and academia, and oversees initiatives related to standards, integration, and testing.
Prior to this role, Mr. LaGraffe served as DOE’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) (acting), Deputy CISO, and Director of Cybersecurity Operations, providing enterprise leadership across more than 50 DOE sites, including 17 national laboratories. He directed Federal employees and contractors, managed a portfolio of mission-critical programs, launched DOE-wide threat and vulnerability management, established the department’s first comprehensive Vulnerability Disclosure Program, and built a quantitative risk management capability to inform strategic decisions. While serving in these roles, Mr. LaGraffe coordinated major incident response efforts and led enterprise cybersecurity data modernization through the development of the DOE Big Data Platform.
Before joining DOE, Mr. LaGraffe served in national security and cybersecurity focused roles across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Cyber Command, and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He led major international engagements, expanded operational partnerships across Europe and the Asia-Pacific, and negotiated information-sharing agreements that connected key allies to automated indicator sharing programs for real-time threat exchange. He strengthened military-to-military cyberspace coordination with NATO and Indo-Pacific partners and advised senior leaders on cyber strategy, policy, and operations, representing U.S. interests in high-level interagency and diplomatic forums.
Mr. LaGraffe holds a Master of Science in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute, a Master of Arts in security policy studies from The George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University. He holds numerous industry-standard certifications including CISSP, CISM, and multiple GIAC credentials spanning incident response, forensics, and security architecture. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and currently serves as a Navy Reserve Officer. Mr. LaGraffe completed a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) at the Office of the Secretary of Defense.