Preston Werntz

Preston Werntz has served since 2018 as the Chief Data Officer for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

As an experienced technologist, cybersecurity strategist, and data evangelist in DHS, he has completed many large, complex projects advancing the Department’s goal to secure cyberspace and critical infrastructure including:

• Published the first CISA Data Strategy identifying the vision and goals for transitioning CISA to a data-informed organization
• Coordinated development of an Enterprise Conceptual Data Model (ECDM) to harmonize cybersecurity and infrastructure security concepts across multiple CISA programs and systems.
• Established a Data and Analytics Community of Practice (COP) within CISA to increase knowledge of data science and analytics topics, share ideas, increase networking across the agency, and build out a data culture of collaboration.
• Developed an Analytics Framework to provide best practices and guidance to identify, prioritize, engineer, and secure analytics
• Conducted the first CISA data asset inventory to improve data discovery and understanding across the agency

During his 15 years at DHS, he also previously worked as Chief of the Technology Services Section, National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, and the Senior Strategist for Analysis & Operations in the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications.  Before that, in the private sector, he co-founded Newbrook Solutions and was a systems architect at ManTech.