Federal 100: Col. Michael F. Brown (retired)

Col. Michael Brown (retired)
Chief Information Security Officer
Federal Aviation Administration

Brown is responsible for enterprisewide information technology security efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration, which includes overseeing an information architecture that supports the nation’s air traffic control system.

By building a security program with repeatable processes, Brown has reduced the number of high-risk vulnerabilities in IT systems from hundreds to 20, and no attack has disrupted FAA operations during his tenure. He also has provided cybersecurity support to the rest of the Transportation Department and the Commerce and Education departments.

“Mr. Brown’s innovative leadership in 2009 not only improved FAA’s security posture but also that of other agencies,” said Reed Phillips, former Commerce chief information officer.

Read more about the 2010 Federal 100 award winners.