UIT is pleased to announce that Jake Johansen has been named chief information security officer (CISO) for the University of Utah and University of Utah Health, effective Monday, July 15, 2024. Johansen will report to Chief Information Officers Steve Hess (campus) and Donna Roach (U of U Health). Johansen replaces CISO Corey Roach, who will remain at the U to help with the transition until he retires in November 2024, after 26 years with the university.
“I’d like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to outgoing CISO Corey Roach for the policies, programs, and tools he successfully implemented that minimize organizational risks and laid the foundation for the robust university-wide cybersecurity program we have today. We wish him well as he transitions to retirement,” Hess said.
For the past 21 years, Johansen has served myriad IT security-related roles at the U, most recently as director for Enterprise Security in the U’s Information Security Office (ISO), for which he managed Information Assurance, Security Engineering, and Security Operations Center teams. His work entailed promoting, implementing, and supporting the university’s Cybersecurity Program; overseeing the process of gathering, analyzing, and assessing current and future information security threat landscapes; hiring, training, and managing staff; and actively participating in the IT security governance process, among other things.
“I’m extremely pleased to welcome Jake to the CISO role,” Donna Roach said. “His unique blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, higher education and health care experience, and fluency with IT security best practices will help ensure the protection of the U’s information resources. Jake has my full confidence and support.”
As CISO, Johansen will ensure that information security policies, standards, procedures, and automated mechanisms are documented and followed; work with relevant government and regulatory agencies to interpret information security regulations; develop information security policies, procedures, and electronic safeguards that comply with government and industry regulations; and work with senior leadership to enforce privacy and IT security policies. He will manage the Information Security Office (ISO), including the hiring, evaluating, training, performance management, salary administration, mentorship, development, and retention of staff.
Johansen will work closely with the university’s general counsel teams; academic, health, research, and administrative organizations; and system and network security, access control, physical security, application development, and application product procurement. He will also work with other Utah higher education institutions, and private and government agencies.
Johansen is a certified information systems security professional (CISSP), certified HIPAA professional (CHP), and certified security administrator.
Please join us in congratulating Johansen on his promotion and Corey Roach on his retirement.
