Verkada, a pioneer in cloud-based physical security solutions, today announced the appointment of four leaders to its newly formed Federal Advisory Board. The board, which brings together experts with extensive experience across the public sector, will provide counsel to Verkada as it continues to expand its product offering for the Federal Government.
Board members include: Kiersten Todt, former Chief of Staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); Vice Admiral Timothy Szymanski (Retired), former Deputy Commander of United States Special Operations Command; Dan Mathews, former Commissioner of the US Public Buildings Service; and Robert Efrus, Founder and CEO of federal consulting firm, Efrus Federal Advisors LLC.
Today, Verkada offers Federal Government-Grade models that are FIPS 140-2 validated, and, earlier this month, announced FIPS cameras, and visitor management solution Verkada Guest, are supported in AWS GovCloud. Verkada's intentions are to proceed with FedRAMP authorization across all product lines, and the launch of these Government-Grade models is a first step.
"Our approach to building has always been first to deeply understand the needs of our customers," said Filip Kaliszan, Co-Founder and CEO at Verkada. "Our new Federal Advisory Board is critical to helping us continue to do that in a thoughtful way when it comes to engineering our products for the evolving needs of federal customers."
Verkada has more than 22,000 customers globally, and has, from the very beginning, served the public sector as a security partner to schools, municipalities, fire and police stations, and more. Today, its solutions help protect more than 13 million students across the country, and more than 11 million of America's healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and hospitality workers.
Meet Verkada's Federal Advisory Board
Kiersten Todt, former Chief of Staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Kiersten Todt is the former Chief of Staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). She was responsible for the planning, allocation of resources, and development of long-range objectives in support of the department's goals — including the management and execution of an almost $3 billion budget and over 3,000 employees and contractors.
She currently serves in an advisory role to CISA's director and is a strategic adviser to venture capital firms and the Data and Trust Alliance, a CEO-led cross-sector industry effort to create standards for data provenance and high-risk use of artificial intelligence. Prior to her CISA role, Kiersten co-founded and was Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI), a nonprofit that develops free cybersecurity tools for small businesses worldwide.
Her service to the Federal Government includes serving as a professional staff member in the U.S. Senate, where she co-drafted the legislation to create the Department of Homeland Security, and as Executive Director of President Obama's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.
Vice Admiral Timothy Szymanski (Retired), former Deputy Commander of United States Special Operations Command
VADM Szymanski served in many Navy and Joint Special Operations assignments as a Navy SEAL officer for nearly 37 years. He most recently served as Deputy Commander United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida after serving as the Commander Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, CA. USSOCOM ensures the readiness of joint special operations forces and, as directed, conducts operations worldwide.
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Tim graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1985. He completed a Master of Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy degree at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Norfolk VA.
Dan Mathews, former Commissioner of the US Public Buildings Service
Dan Mathews spent 25 years of federal service in Congress and the executive branch. In 2024, President Biden appointed Mathews to the Public Buildings Reform Board, which is tasked with making recommendations to realign the federal real estate portfolio. He also serves on the Industry Advisory Group of the US State Department's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.
In addition, Mathews is a board member of both the Federal Real Property Association and the National Federal Development Association. He has extensive experience with federal real estate issues and served as Commissioner of the US General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service, where he led the 375 million square foot civilian real estate portfolio of the Federal Government, over 5,000 employees, and a $12 billion budget.
Mathews graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Government and Philosophy.
Robert Efrus, Founder and CEO of federal consulting firm, Efrus Federal Advisors LLC
Robert Efrus is the Founder and CEO of Efrus Federal Advisors LLC (EFA). He also serves as President of the Coalition for Enterprise Open Source Software in Government. Robert has a unique understanding of how to leverage the congressional oversight process in support of procurement outcomes and has a long and distinguished record in helping federal software vendors capture large federal deals.
Most recently, Robert was awarded a prestigious FED 100 award for his multi-year efforts to raise awareness about evolving software security requirements. He formerly served as a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (HQ) where he worked as a manned space flight Congressional Liaison Officer in NASA's Office of Legislative Affairs.
Robert also worked on Capitol Hill as a NASA Congressional Fellow handling space and aviation issues for a United States Senator.
