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How Do States Fill Cybersecurity Positions?

State chief information security officers have to get creative to make sure their cybersecurity workforce is ready for today's threats.

Many challenges unite state cybersecurity leaders, starting with recruiting and maintaining the talent needed to protect IT assets from known and emerging threats. At the NASCIO Midyear Conference last month, we talked to chief information security officers (CISOs), who outlined their key workforce challenges and their strategies for taking them on.

In the state of Washington, CISO Agnes Kirk outlined several components of her approach, which include encouraging students to pursue cybersecurity as a career path:




In Missouri, CISO Michael Roling casts a wide net for cybertalent as well, and is finding much of his success in-house. 



Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.