Ron DeSantis Names Pedro Allende as Secretary of Department of Management Services

This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Pedro Allende as secretary of the Department of Management Services (DMS).

Allende, an attorney, has been a member of Florida’s Cybersecurity Advisory Council since September 2021. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience Policy at the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he led policy development to protect U.S. critical infrastructure against cyber, physical, and natural threats while overseeing policy efforts to increase federal, state, and local preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.

“I am pleased to appoint Pedro Allende as secretary of the Department of Management Services,” said DeSantis. “His knowledge and experience protecting critical infrastructure against cybersecurity threats will bolster our efforts to protect Floridians’ data and keep our communities safe.”

Prior to his time at DHS, he was Senior Advisor and Director of Strategic Initiatives at the United States Department of Energy and a Counselor to the Secretary and White House Liaison at the United States Department of Labor. Allende earned his bachelor’s degree in economics, master’s degree in decision and information science, and juris doctorate from the University of Florida.