California has named Mike Marshall as its new chief information security officer (CISO), with Marshall bringing 18 years of public-sector cybersecurity experience to the position.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced Marshall’s appointment as CISO, which will see Marshall housed within the California Department of Technology (CDT). Marshall's career as a public-sector cybersecurity professional began in 2008 with an information security architect position at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, according to his LinkedIn.
Marshall most recently served as acting information officer at the California Environmental Protection Agency, a position he held dating back to 2022, the governor’s office said. He previously served as the agency’s information security officer from 2017 to 2022. During his time at that agency, he worked with CDT on projects such as Cal-Secure, Marshall told Industry Insider – California in 2021.
Marshall takes over the CISO position as California begins implementing Cal-Secure 2.0, the state’s new cybersecurity road map, first announced on July 31. The road map succeeds the original Cal-Secure strategy issued in 2021 and is intended to help agencies address emerging risks while operating under a common statewide framework aligned with national cybersecurity standards.
The strategy centers on three pillars: developing and retaining the state’s cybersecurity workforce; improving coordination and information sharing across government; and modernizing security technology. It also gives individual agencies flexibility to concentrate on the risks most relevant to their operations.
Marshall’s experience at the California Environmental Protection Agency touches at least two of those priorities. In addition to leading information security at the agency, he participated in the Information Security Leadership Academy, an 11-week CDT program intended to prepare public-sector technology professionals for information security leadership positions. The curriculum combines state security and compliance requirements with technical training, incident-response exercises and management skills.
Marshall succeeds Vitaliy Panych, who stepped down in late July after seven years of serving as state CISO. Panych helped develop Cal-Secure 2.0 and said when it was released that the strategy was designed to help state entities identify their most significant risks and improve their defenses over time.
This story first appeared in Government Technology, part of e.Republic, Industry Insider — California’s parent company.
Agency Information Officer Is California’s Next State CISO
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed a longtime agency executive to serve as California’s next chief information security officer. He replaces Vitaliy Panych, who left state service for the private sector in July.
