Iowa hires statewide CISO after 20-month vacancy

Shane Dwyer, an agency CISO in Wisconsin, will be Iowa's first statewide cybersecurity leader since the January 2020 departure of Jeff Franklin.

By Benjamin Freed

September 10, 2021

State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa (Getty Images)

The State of Iowa has hired Shane Dwyer, formerly the chief information security officer for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, as its new statewide CISO.

Dwyer, who’s worked for the Wisconsin agency since 2015, will fill a position that’s been empty since January 2020. The role was formerly held by Jeff Franklin, who became the top cybersecurity official in the office of Secretary of State Paul Pate, overseeing election security operations.

Shane Dwyer (LinkedIn)

Iowa Chief Information Officer Annette Dunn told StateScoop at the time that the CISO job would remain vacant as the state searched for a replacement.

Dwyer’s hiring was first reported by Government Technology magazine.

According to a LinkedIn profile, Dwyer spent three years as a director of information security and privacy at Minnesota State University, Mankato. From 2001 to 2008, he served as an operations manager in the U.S. Air Force. He earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems security from American Military University in 2011.

Dwyer’s first day in Iowa is set for Sept. 13.