whitehouse

Chicago authorities have issued a missing person alert for 41-year-old American woman Taylor Casey last seen in the Bahamas. And others are joining in. Friends of the trans woman are lending support, spreading the word of her mysterious disappearance.

Leader and CEO of Los Angeles LGBTQ Center Joe Hollendoner pushed for more outside efforts to find Taylor while attending a policy briefing at the White House.

“I asked the President of the United States (Joe Biden) and Vice President (Kamala Harris) to work with Taylor’s family and the @findtaylorcasey effort to get Taylor home to Chicago,” he said in a social media post.

Transgender leader Precious Brady Davis, a Chicago County official is also throwing her weight behind the search efforts to find Taylor.

In a social media post, she grieved Taylor’s disappearance, reminiscing on the years of friendship.

“I have known Taylor Casey for a number of years.

“Back in the day she regularly had gatherings at her home off Belmont and Halsted that brought all the girls together in a time when all had was us. At the time we were all just surviving,” said the first trans woman to serve in public office in Cook County.

“Her disappearance has given me great sorrow and I have a plethora of memories with her that I will always cherish. It is my prayer she returns to us all soon.”

Davis and her trans husband were honored and served as grand marshals for the city’s recent Pride Parade. They hope to use their influence to spur awareness and strengthen calls for support.

The Transgender Law Center in Chicago is getting involved too. The center, responsible for changes to law, policy, and attitudes toward transgenders says they are grieving the disappearance of their community leader, referring to her as “a beacon of joy.”

“Her presence is deeply missed…We are holding onto hope.”

Taylor visited the Bahamas to attend a four-week yoga course to become a certified instructor but after just two weeks at the Sivananda Asham Yoga Retreat Center, she disappeared. Only her phone was discovered. Authorities say her American passport is also missing.

Her mother Colette Seymore and friend Emily Williams expressed dissatisfaction with the investigations and are calling for US support.

Bahamian Kemba Eneas Walden was appointed a top post in the Biden administration serving as principal deputy national cyber director.

Walden, a former assistant general counsel at Microsoft where she was responsible for launching and leading its Digital Crimes Unit’s Ransomware Program, joins three new hires in the administration.

Walden is also the daughter of veteran nephrologist Dr Judson Frazier Eneas who became the Bahamas’ fifth COVID-19 related death.

The White House announced on Tuesday that it is expanding its cyber policy office.

“As we continue to build this new office, the additions of Kemba, Neal, and Rob will accelerate our efforts to protect Americans in cyberspace,” said National Cyber Director Chris Inglis. “Each of these leaders brings impressive experience in cybersecurity policymaking to our team, and their diverse perspectives will be invaluable as we strengthen our collective defense.”

• Principal Deputy National Cyber Director Kemba Eneas Walden is an attorney with extensive experience in government and the private sector.
• She comes to ONCD from Microsoft, where she served as an Assistant General Counsel in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) responsible for launching and leading DCU’s Ransomware Program.
• Prior to joining Microsoft, Kemba spent a decade in government service at the Department of Homeland Security, most recently at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
• She was appointed to the Cyber Safety Review Board and holds a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University, and B.A. from Hampton University.

Why it matters

Walden represents diversity in the Biden administration and will become one of the highest-ranking black officials since the industry grapples with a lack of diversity.

The big picture

The United States is facing increasing criminal and state-backed cyber threats to its infrastructure. And officials continue to be wary of potential Russian hacking threats to US organizations stemming from the war in Ukraine.