NY Chief Information Security Officer Karen Sorady Retires

Karen Sorady, New York’s chief information security officer, is retiring from her post, closing out a 32-year career with the state.

“After a long and rewarding career in public service, it’s time for a change,” Sorady said via email. “For continuity, it is likely that we will have someone in an acting role for a short period of time, but we have cast a wide net and are interviewing some strong potential candidates.”

Until a replacement is identified, she said the state's Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) would continue to improve the security posture of government networks to better defend against the ever-growing cyber threat landscape.

In October 2019, Sorady was appointed acting CISO, replacing Deborah Snyder. Several months later, Sorady permanently took on the role.

Since then, she has led a transformation within ITS, overseeing security services provided to state agencies and adding several core services.

Prior to working with ITS, Sorady was the assistant deputy director of cyber programs for the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and the information security officer for the New York State Office of Cybersecurity and New York State Banking Department.