HHS deputy CIO takes agency's top IT spot

Department of Health and Human Services Deputy CIO Beth Killoran will move up to the top CIO spot starting July 11. HHS Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield announced the news in a July 8 blog post.

Killoran will lead agencywide work on cybersecurity and privacy protection, Wakefield added.

Killoran joined HHS in October 2014 and has served as executive director of the Office of IT Strategy, Policy and Governance. Previously, she worked at the Department of Homeland Security for 11 years.

Wakefield said Killoran's priorities will include the agency's anti-phishing campaign, the Healthy Technology initiative and the Cybersecurity Communications, Awareness, Response and Education program, which seek to raise employees' awareness of electronic risks and improve their cyber habits.

In May, Killoran told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that HHS' performance under Federal Information Security Modernization Act audits was at the highest level in four years.

In addition, the agency is in the process of deploying the next phase of the Einstein cybersecurity program, and as part of the implementation of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act, Killoran introduced a new risk model for scoring IT investments at HHS.

The agency has been without a permanent CIO since Frank Baitman stepped down in November 2015.