Mark Weatherford, formerly the chief security officer at North American Electric Reliability Corp., has been appointed to be the deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security.Weatherford replaces Greg Schaffer, who was acting deputy undersecretary for the past five months. Schaffer will return to his position as assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications.
A DHS statement says Weatherford “will focus on ensuring robust cybersecurity operations and communications resilience for the department.
“The newly created position will allow the department to better carry out our mission to create a safe, secure and resilient cyberspace” the statement says. “Weatherford has a wealth of experience in information technology and cybersecurity at the federal, state and private sector levels.
At NERC, Weatherford directed the organization’s critical infrastructure and cybersecurity program. Prior to joining NERC, he was chief information security officer in the state of California’s Office of Information Security.
A NERC statement says he established California’s first formal information technology security plan and strategy. Prior to that, he was chief security officer for the state of Colorado.
