North Dakota promotes interim cybersecurity chief
North Dakota’s technology bureau announced Tuesday that the state has elevated its interim chief information officer, Chris Gergen, to serve as the state’s full-time CISO.
Gergen joined North Dakota Information Technology in 2019 as a cyber analysis and response lead and helped develop the state’s cyber operations center. He later held the role of director of cyber operations before becoming the interim CISO, filling in for Michael Gregg.
As North Dakota’s top cybersecurity official, Gergen is tasked with leading the state’s cybersecurity strategy and, according to a press release from the state IT agency, building “a culture of resilience and collaboration.” Gergen said in the release that he’s “deeply committed to safeguarding the digital government services that North Dakotans rely on.”
Corey Mock, the state’s chief information officer, said he was proud to promote from within.
“Chris is not only a highly capable cybersecurity leader — he’s a mentor, a trusted voice, and a strong advocate for every individual on his team,” Mock said in the release. “He understands the value of lifelong learning and leads with humility, curiosity, and a steady commitment to service.”
Before joining the state government, Gergen held several cybersecurity and IT roles in the private sector, including with the business services firm Deloitte and the Bank of North Dakota.
He’ll continue to lead cybersecurity in a state that has assumed a growing role in interstate cybersecurity operations. In 2022, leaders of North Dakota’s cyber operations center announced that the cooperative had recently expanded to include a total of 10 states, with plans to add five more.
“There’s real benefit in getting the states to talk to each other,” Gregg, the former state CISO, told StateScoop in 2022. “If we’re being targeted, the odds are another state is being targeted too. We share the same types of applications and services.”
