NASCIO Honors Two Exemplary State CISOs

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has awarded the Thomas M. Jarrett Cybersecurity Scholarship to two exceptional state chief information security officers (CISOs). This is the seventh year for the scholarship program, which was created to pay homage to Thomas M. Jarrett, past president of NASCIO (2004 – 2005), for his passion for cybersecurity. The scholarship grants current CISOs the opportunity to attend the NASCIO Annual Conference and contribute to the national dialogue on cybersecurity and related issues.

The 2019 Thomas M. Jarrett Cybersecurity Scholarship recipients are:

Andy Hanks
Chief Information Security Officer, State of Montana

Nominated by Tim Bottenfield, CIO, State of Montana

As the CISO for the State of Montana, Andy oversees the state’s information security program and is responsible for protecting and preserving the confidentiality, integrity and availability of citizen’s data and the state’s information assets. As state CISO, Andy has worked to obtain funding for the Montana Cybersecurity Enhancement Project; launched programs to raise students’ security awareness and interests; established a state cybersecurity apprenticeship program; created workforce development initiatives; formed the Montana Girls Cybersecurity Workgroup; formed the multi-agency Election Security Workgroup; enhanced the state’s security controls; and implemented a new security awareness training for all state employees.

Maria Thompson
Chief Risk Officer, State of North Carolina

Nominated by J. Eric Boyette, CIO, State of North Carolina

As the Chief Risk Officer for the State of North Carolina, Maria manages an enterprise team of security and privacy professionals for the State of North Carolina. During her tenure, Maria has developed statewide cybersecurity policies and procedures including data classification, BYOD, cloud computing and continuous monitoring strategy; developed an enterprise security IT optimization plan; developed the state’s Security Assessment and Compliance Program; established the state’s first Cyber Work Group; established and managed the state’s first Disabled Veterans Cyber Workforce Apprenticeship program; developed and facilitated North Carolina’s adoption of the NIST Risk Management Framework; and has promoted STEM careers, particularly in cybersecurity, to girls and women, across the state through educational programs and speaking engagements.

For more information about the Jarrett Award, including previous winners, please visit: www.nascio.org/Awards