New York state has a new chief cyber officer.
Meghan Cook will take over from acting chief cyber officer Michaela Lee, according to both of their LinkedIn profiles.
State officials were not immediately available for comment.
Cook was most recently director of the state’s Cyber Incident Response Team at
the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), according to LinkedIn.
She has also served as assistant director of the DHSES Office of Counter Terrorism.
Cook spent 26 years at the Center for Technology in Government at the University of Albany, and was program director from 2013-2023. She holds two advanced degrees from that university.
As chief cyber officer, she will focus on boosting cyber defenses for the state’s public, private and nonprofit sectors, according to a message she posted to LinkedIn.
“The definition of a pivotal leader is a person that demonstrates courage and initiative through impactful decisions while navigating complex challenges and ensuring strategic goals — and through it all remains a most excellent human,” she said on LinkedIn.
As for Lee, she was appointed acting cyber chief in March when Colin Ahern — chief cyber officer since 2022 — became the state’s first director of security and intelligence.
In her own LinkedIn message, Lee said her team crafted new cybersecurity regulations for water and sewer operations, used AI for cyber defense and helped to protect the state during major summer events including World Cup matches in the New York City metropolitan area.
Lee, who will remain as Cook’s deputy to help with the transition, also praised her successor.
“She’s spent years building real relationships with local governments across the state, and she cares about the same thing I do: making sure the services New Yorkers rely on are secure and resilient,” Lee said on LinkedIn.
Lee added that she looks forward to spending more time with family.