Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that CSU C|M|LAW Adjunct Professor Kirk Herath has been appointed to the role of Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor, a new position created within his administration. Herath will guide Ohio’s wide-ranging cybersecurity efforts across agencies, including the Adjutant General’s Office, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
“Kirk Herath has decades of experience in cybersecurity and data privacy,” Governor Dewine said in a statement. “I am pleased that Kirk will bring this expertise to the State to ensure Ohio leads the nation in cybersecurity and resiliency and its cybersecurity workforce.”
Herath teaches as an adjunct professor at CSU Cleveland-Marshall College of Law’s Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection and teaches in the law school's online Master of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity and Data Privacy program. He is also a member of the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection’s National Advisory Board.
Prior to his appointment as Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor, Herath was a Principal with Pillars Consulting Group. He recently retired as Vice-President, Associate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer for Nationwide Insurance Companies and affiliates based in Columbus, Ohio.
For over two decades, Herath was responsible for all legal issues at a Fortune 100 financial services company impacting various cybersecurity matters. He was responsible for corporate privacy policy, data and security incident management and implementing privacy across all lines of business. Herath has represented clients on many industry privacy and Cybersecurity policy groups and before legislative and regulatory bodies.
Herath will be a keynote speaker at CSU C|M|LAW’s annual Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection Conference May 19-20.