Phil Kirk is the Region 7 Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Region 7 is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and serves the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. CISA is the Nation’s risk advisor, working with partners to defend against today’s digital and physical threats and collaborating to build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future.
Mr. Kirk was selected as Regional Director of the Office of Infrastructure Protection in the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) of DHS in 2016, prior to the creation of CISA through the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Act of 2018. He then served as the Acting Director of CISA Region 7 for two years until his appointment to the Senior Executive Service in January 2021. He is the senior CISA official in the region and is accountable for the successful execution of the numerous and varied CISA programs across the Region 7 area of responsibility.
Previous to his tenure with CISA, Mr. Kirk spent over 20 years of his federal career in a diverse and progressive set of positions in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Region 7, most recently as the Federal Preparedness Coordinator and National Preparedness Division Director.
In 1998-1999, Mr. Kirk left FEMA and moved to Washington, DC, where he helped stand-up the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, before returning to Kansas City and FEMA. He began his federal career in 1989 on the staff of a Member of Congress from the state of Kansas before joining FEMA in 1994.
Mr. Kirk earned a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. Mr. Kirk and his spouse, Shelly Kirk, reside in Oak Grove, Missouri.