Dempsey will collaborate and serve as the agency’s cybersecurity leader, ensuring resilience and enabling business objectives.
Currently, he is “drawn more toward the governance of data, privacy and their relationship with AI,” Dempsey told Industry Insider — Texas via email.
The position was previously held by agency CIO and former ISO George Stolard, to whom Dempsey reports. He, in turn, works with and oversees one analyst.
State agencies are required to designate an information security officer, outlined in state code.
An agency ISO reports to agency executives, has authority over the agency’s information and is trained and experienced in the information security arena. Accordingly, the ISO serves as lead in case of a cybersecurity incident, implements policy and enables agency cyber posture, much of which is guided by the state.
Dempsey’s public-sector experience includes serving as a cybersecurity analyst at the General Land Office and a network system administrator for the Railroad Commission of Texas. He has worked with the state since 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile, holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification and is a U.S. Army veteran.
