Colin Ahern was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2022 as the first Chief Cyber Officer of New York State. In this role, he leads cross-agency efforts to protect New York State from cyber threats and led the development of the state’s first ever cybersecurity strategy. Before joining the state, he helped to stand up and lead New York City’s cyber defense agency and worked in cybersecurity in the financial services industry. He enlisted in the Army reserves after 9/11 and later served on two active duty deployments to Afghanistan as an Army officer. He ended his Army career as a company commander in the Army Cyber Brigade. He has taught at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He lives with his wife and 2 children in Brooklyn.