William Lietzau has stepped down from his role as director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, marking his retirement from federal service.
The former DCSA director and 2023 Wash100 Award winner was recognized on Thursday in a Transfer of Authority ceremony, held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The event honored, highlighted and reflected upon Lietzau’s impact, leadership and federal service career.
“Serving as the Director of DCSA has been the highlight of my career,” Lietzau said in a statement in July. “As I depart, I do so knowing that the nation’s premier provider of integrated security services is in the hands of the most dedicated and patriotic Americans serving anywhere in the federal government.”
Lietzau spoke about his work and priorities during his time at DCSA in a video interview with Executive Mosaic. Click here to watch.
During the ceremony, command of the agency was passed onto DCSA Deputy Director Daniel Lecce, who will now serve as acting director.
“I like to say nothing gets done without the gritty, dedicated spirit of our gatekeepers,” said Lecce during the ceremony. “Day in and day out, you deliver often under very difficult circumstances, without complaint, to ensure the security of our nation. For them, I’m very grateful, and I promise you I will continue the great work Director Lietzau started.”
Lecce also reflected upon Lietzau’s tenure as DCSA director and applauded the work he executed while in the role.
“Through strong leadership, he led a workforce comprised of disparate organizations into a cohesive and high performing agency,” said Lecce of Lietzau. “Director Lietzau’s mastery of the federal government, programmatics resourcing, staffing [and] processes shepherded this agency that was only 900 at its inception to one of over 12,000 today.”
