enQase adds former federal CIO Ann Dunkin to advisory board

enQase has named Ann Dunkin, former CIO at the U.S. Department of Energy and EPA, to its Federal Market Advisory Board as demand grows for post-quantum cryptography planning. The move strengthens the quantum-safe security company’s push into federal agencies and critical infrastructure markets.

Why it matters: - enQase is targeting federal agencies and critical infrastructure organizations that are accelerating cryptographic inventory, post-quantum migration, and crypto-agility planning. - Dunkin brings senior-level federal technology and cybersecurity experience to a company focused on quantum-safe security. - The appointment signals enQase wants deeper credibility with government buyers preparing for cryptographic modernization.

What happened: - enQase announced the appointment of Ann Dunkin, P.E., to its Federal Market Advisory Board. - Dunkin is the former CIO of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. - The announcement was made Sept. 28, 2026, from Austin, Texas.

The details: - Dunkin will advise enQase as the company expands work with federal agencies and government partners preparing for post-quantum cryptography. - Rajesh Patil, enQase CEO, said Dunkin’s experience will support customers working through cryptographic inventory, migration planning and long-term crypto-agility. - At the Department of Energy during the Biden-Harris administration, Dunkin managed a $5 billion information technology portfolio and a $1 billion high-performance computing budget. - Her DOE responsibilities covered cybersecurity, cloud adoption, digital transformation and technology modernization. - Dunkin also served as CIO of the EPA during the Obama administration. - Her prior private- and public-sector roles include chief strategy and innovation officer at Dell Technologies, CIO for Santa Clara County, and chief technology officer for the Palo Alto Unified School District. - Earlier in her career, Dunkin held engineering, research and development, IT, manufacturing, software quality and operations leadership roles at Hewlett-Packard. - Dunkin is now a Distinguished External Fellow and Distinguished Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech. - She also leads Dunkin Global Advisors, where she advises on technology strategy and transformation. - Dunkin is a published author and frequent speaker on artificial intelligence, quantum technology, energy, cybersecurity and government modernization. - Dunkin said organizations are entering an important period as they assess cryptographic environments and prepare for post-quantum technologies. - enQase says its platform helps organizations identify cryptographic dependencies, assess risk and plan and implement the transition to quantum-safe security across existing enterprise environments. - The release includes enQase social links to LinkedIn and YouTube.

Between the lines: - enQase is pairing a technical product pitch with a board member who has direct federal procurement and modernization experience. - The addition suggests the company is positioning itself for a long buying cycle tied to government cryptography upgrades rather than a short-term software sale. - Dunkin’s background spans federal agencies, local government, enterprise tech and academia, which could help enQase speak to multiple decision-makers in the transition to post-quantum security.

What's next: - enQase is likely to use Dunkin’s experience to support federal market expansion and customer education around cryptographic inventory and migration planning. - Agencies and critical infrastructure operators are expected to keep advancing post-quantum readiness efforts as modernization timelines develop. - enQase will continue marketing its crypto-agility and quantum-safe security tools to organizations with complex existing environments.