Ian serves as the Supervisory Cybersecurity Advisor for the state of Washington for CISA.  He supports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure. 

His program coordinates cyber preparedness, risk mitigation and incident response, and provides cyber security resources, including assessments, to the state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities, and the nation’s sixteen critical infrastructure sectors. 

Prior to joining DHS and CISA, Ian worked in both IT and cybersecurity for over 25 years.  He started as an Intelligence Specialist in the U.S. Navy, right out of high school and then transitioned to the University of Washington, Bothell and earned his B.S. in Computing and Software Systems in 2002.  Upon graduating college he earned a commission in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a Communication Officer at Offutt AFB in Nebraska.  After separating from the Air Force in 2006, Ian took a civilian job doing cybersecurity, software development, and cyberspace planning for USSTRATCOM.  During his time at USSTRATCOM, Ian earned his master’s degree in Cybersecurity from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska.  Ian was the first student to graduate from Bellevue University’s Masters in Cybersecurity program in 2012.  In 2015, Ian and his family decided to move home to the Northwest and took a job at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a Cybersecurity Engineer.  After a promotion and a year of working as the Platform IT (Operational Technology) Branch Manager, he accepted a position as a Cybersecurity Advisor position within CISA.  After a year of interviews, security checks and waiting, he was brought on as the Cybersecurity State Coordinator for the state of Washington in March of 2021.  On July 1st of 2024 Ian was promoted to the newly created position of Supervisory Cybersecurity Advisor for Washington state.  This position will oversee the cybersecurity activities within the state, both public and private,  and develop an overarching cybersecurity strategy for the state.      

As the SCSA for Washington State, Ian works with the other three Cybersecurity Advisors and the State Coordinator to support state agencies, counties, and cities/towns and private industry partners to help them shore up their cybersecurity by partnering with them on assessments and offering CISA technical services.  Through these partnerships he builds and cultivates relationships and trust throughout the state. 

Ian maintains his Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, since 2014.