President Obama today announced the appointment of the first ever Chief Information Security Officer for the federal government.
The job was delegated to retired Brigadier Gen. Gregory Touhill.
The appointment of Touhill is part of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP), which President Obama introduced in February to improve cybersecurity measures across the federal government and across the U.S.
So, who is Gregory Touhill?
A Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Graduate, Touhill is also a decorated combat leader and former member of the U.S. Air Force. In the Air Force, Touhill served as an officer, as well as Director of Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Systems.
Touhill also served as CIO for Air Mobility Command, as Commander of the 81st Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, and as Senior Defense Official and U.S. Defense Attaché for the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City. He gained further experience as Cybersecurity and Information Technology Principal at Touhill Technology Management and by serving as Adjunct Instructor and Assistant to the Program Director of MCSM and MIM programs at Washington University in St. Louis.
Most recently, Touhill was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Cybersecurity and Communications for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
According to the White House, Touhill’s new role as Federal CSIO will be to lead a team within the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OBM) drive policies and implement leading cybersecurity practices across multiple federal agencies. Touhill will also lead reviews to ensure that federal agencies enforce cybersecurity practices.