By Trish Svoboda

Today, Governor Laura Kelly revealed that John Godfrey is the new Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the State of Kansas. In his capacity, he will spearhead the Kansas Information Security Office (KISO) in formulating and executing information security strategies, encompassing cybersecurity initiatives.

Godfrey assumes his position after Jeff Maxon’s appointment as Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO) for the State of Kansas in October 2023.

Godfrey joins the state after serving as the CISO-in-Residence and Founder of LionHeart Cybersecurity Advisors in Kansas City, KS. He brings with him experience collaborating with several of the State’s Regents universities. His tenure includes over a decade at The University of Kansas Medical Center, where he served for six years as CISO and Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Security. Furthermore, Godfrey spent more than five years at Kansas State University in roles such as Senior Cybersecurity Engineer, Systems Administrator, and Information Security Analyst.

“This is an exciting time to join the KISO and advance the strategies put in place by my predecessor,” John Godfrey said. “Coordination and collaboration are critical to advancing the cybersecurity posture of Kansas, and the KISO has been active in building a statewide cyber community that includes all 105 counties. I look forward to working with this dedicated group of professionals on what’s next for the future of information security.”