Holly Drake

Chief Information Security Officer
State of Ohio

In either the public or private sectors, my mission is to bring a pragmatic, collaborative approach to solving business and information security challenges by balancing the uses of information while keeping core cybersecurity and privacy principles at the fore. With more than 30,000 employees across all state agencies, the State of Ohio has a complex information risk profile requiring a sophisticated, risk-based cybersecurity program. With this in mind, I build cybersecurity governance and technical maturity to protect Ohioians and their state government in today’s volatile threat landscape. I also thrive on leading diverse and skilled teams through transitions and change.

My information governance and management career spanned senior roles in private sector organizations ranging from mid-market to Fortune 50 in size where I developed privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance programs. Prior to joining the State of Ohio, I built a bespoke privacy program for The Ohio State University, one of the largest educational institutions in the United States. While there, I also led the cybersecurity governance teams, with responsibility for policy, control frameworks, training, risk assessment, disaster recovery, and data governance.

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and Capital University, I also maintain CIPP, CIPT, CISSP, and CISA certifications. Currently, I serve in a number of industry initiatives. Outside of work, I volunteer and advocate for literacy initiatives in my community.