Tarah Wheeler

This article criticizes CISA Director Jen Easterly's clothing choices, voice, time spent in public, whether or not she's "technical enough", how much time she spends building her brand, and I think CyberScoop should be ashamed of themselves.

Just because they had a woman write the article does not shield them from the utter viciousness in here. It is absolutely possible to criticize any government leader for the choices they've made and their successes and failures, but it is uniquely reserved for women to have their leadership metrics bundled with whether or not they're properly silent, modestly dressed, and deferential to authority like a lady.

https://www.cyberscoop.com/cisa-dhs-easterly-cyber-mission/

Insiders worry CISA is too distracted from critical cyber mission

The agency appears to be struggling with internal divisions, morale problems and growing concerns about leadership priorities.

CyberScoop
Dec 22, 2022 at 8:21pmWeb
Show threadTarah WheelerDec 22, 2022
Damn. Congressman Jim Langevin is not having it over the quotes from him being used in this hit piece. https://twitter.com/JimLangevin/status/1606065064506597376
Jim Langevin on Twitter

“I am deeply frustrated and disappointed by the recent reporting about @CISAJen and the hardworking men and women at @CISAGov. As I have said over and over – @CISAJen has done a phenomenal job of leading the agency, and under her leadership, CISA is firing on all cylinders. 1/”

Twitter
Show threadAnn JohnsonDec 22, 2022
@Tarah I am still looking for the articles about my friend Chris being on the speaker circuit too much. I’ll keep you posted. Pretty sure most people saw through that piece for what it is. I went from 😡 to 🙄 pretty quickly
Show threadTarah WheelerDec 23, 2022

@ajohnsocyber But wait, Ann...which Cyber Chris? There are more men named Chris who've run gov cyber things than women at all.

I can love & respect all the Cyber Chrises and still feel like I don't know how to present this to girls & women trying to get into this field.

Show threadAnn JohnsonDec 23, 2022
@Tarah her predecessor. He is even quoted. He was (appropriately) on the speaker circuit a lot, as is the current Director. A lot of cyber is raising awareness. I don’t think I ever read anything criticizing him for this or things like his pineapple pizza campaign (similar to the Rubik’s cube). Maybe it’s out there - but I don’t recall it. It’s just exhausting.
Show threadMazal ​Dec 23, 2022

@ajohnsocyber @Tarah

pretty sure this @Chris

Show threadTarah WheelerDec 23, 2022
@ajohnsocyber I know who you mean; I think he's great. Especially the public speaking and the development of CISA as a public brand worth paying attention to and respecting.
Show threadAnn JohnsonDec 23, 2022
@Tarah I kinda thought you did -
Show threadNerdShinobiDec 22, 2022
@Tarah hit piece? I'm confused. Probably because I've not been paying attention to the news lately.
Show threadTarah WheelerDec 23, 2022
@NerdShinobi scroll up
Show threadNerdShinobiDec 23, 2022
@Tarah oh ffs.....I shouldn't operate heavy machinery today. I see it now. Thanks. 🤦‍♂️
Show threadDustin [BusySignal-KE2EFX]Dec 22, 2022

@Tarah

What a terrible approach... who in the world cares about this... This is out of control...

Show threadTiakuh SonDec 22, 2022
@dustinfinn @Tarah The world cares. Just look how much Zelensky was criticized for meeting foreign ministers in semi-mikitart clothes. It was byond disgusting. There are several examples. This are people with lower rethoric.
Show threadLocksmithDec 22, 2022
@tia6o @dustinfinn @Tarah he does use it as a brand. Not saying he shouldn't...
Show threadTiakuh SonDec 22, 2022
@locksmithprime @dustinfinn @Tarah Exactly. A good reminder that his country is in war.
Show threadTindraDec 22, 2022
@Tarah and things like being (maybe?) the seniormost gov’t official with visible tattoos and nose jewelry *matters* for getting people to actually see themselves working for the government.
Show threadRmogullDec 22, 2022
@Tarah @itisiboller Any time I see an article criticizing or commenting on a public woman’s clothing choices i immediately dismiss the article and the writer. There’s no place for that anymore.
Show threadMartin Boller     Dec 22, 2022
@Rmogull @Tarah Hear hear
Show threadddench who art in infosec exchange Dec 22, 2022
@Rmogull @Tarah @itisiboller exactly the right approach to take. Don't engage with writers that resort to baseless tropes instead of thought provoking criticism. Aside from being lazy and infuriating, people reading articles like this actually want to read something thought provoking, that provides a reason to question assumptions.
Show threadHTTP 1.1/418 TeapotDec 22, 2022
@Tarah Oh good, I was worried I was going to miss out on having cause for incendiary rage today but here’s this article!
Show threadBrian M.Dec 22, 2022
@Tarah Anyone say these things publicly about the previous CISA director? My memory says no but I could be wrong.
Show threadGeekmomKDec 22, 2022
@Tarah Can you possibly imagine what the industry would be like if the male CEOs who spend more time doing talks while wearing clothing with mythical animals than running their actual businesses got the same treatment?
Show threadMike TalonDec 22, 2022
@Tarah Reminds me of the brutal verbal ass-kicking CJ Craig landed on a White House reporter who attempted to pull the same kind of stunt on her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOdrbf5sX_M
CJ CREGG TESTS YOUR MATH

YouTube
Show threadJody TDec 23, 2022
@Tarah literally popped up my FB memories today. The more things change… 🤦🏼‍♀️
Show threadPeesha Deel Dec 23, 2022
@Tarah in other words, Easterly is correct in her assessment that CISA is a partnership agency. The problem with cyber security in this country, is that no one has regulatory authority over how it's carried out. Each of these private sector industries, can do their own thing, and many of them do. And then they hide behind corporate profit protections, that mean they don't have to share information with other entities.
Show threadrahlzle dazle (Richard)Dec 23, 2022
@Tarah Egads that is purely a slam piece. I feel bad for anyone in infosec who gets into such an overly political space because this seemingly will almost always be the result. I hope she is able to kick sand in their faces with much success soon.
Show threadDavid A. Pirata Informático Dec 23, 2022
@Tarah Easterly has done a phenomenal job IMHO. Her ability to market CISA has definitely made my job easier in the internal messaging in my org about CISA's role.
Show threadHermes ⚕️Dec 23, 2022
@Tarah sadly I do not think we’ve progressed much in the ten years since https://youtu.be/ihd7ofrwQX0 ☹️
Julia Gillard's 'misogyny speech' in full (2012) | ABC News

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