Former NSA Exec Joins J.C. Penney’s Board of Directors

J.C. Penney has a new member on its board of directors. Debora Plunkett, a former member of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), was appointed to the board last week. J.C. Penney also announced Colleen Barrett, president emeritus of Southwest Airlines, will retire from the board when her term concludes on May 19.

Plunkett brings experience in cybersecurity, information assurance and innovation in information security to the Plano, Texas-based department store chain. Most recently, Plunkett taught graduate-level cybersecurity classes as a professor at the University of Maryland, as well as working as a cybersecurity consultant with her firm, Plunkett Associates LLC. Additionally, she has prior governmental experience as director for the Office of Transnational Threats at the National Security Council of The White House.