John Toney named Chief Information Security Officer at State of Vermont

The State of Vermont appointed John Toney as its Chief Information Security Officer, effective April 8, 2024. Toney previously served as a Special Agent with the US Secret Service, specializing in network intrusion crimes and critical systems protection. He also served as the first CISO of an enterprise spanning eight countries.

The Agency of Digital Services said the appointment was announced in Montpelier by Denise Reilly-Hughes, who was Secretary of the Agency of Digital Services and Vermont's Chief Information Officer at the time of the announcement. According to the State of Vermont, Toney's task is to develop strategies for bringing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence into the digital services and operations of the state. Ready.vermont.gov listed Toney, as Chief Information Security Officer at the Agency of Digital Services, among members of the Cybersecurity Advisory Council at the time of the report, when the council's chair was Reilly-Hughes.

The State of Vermont reports that Toney was the first global chief information security officer at City Electric Supply, an electric wholesaler, where he was charged with safeguarding information for an international enterprise based in Dallas. The agency says his specialties in that post were security operations, threat intelligence and incident response. According to the release, Toney has architected and built global security teams on five continents. The State of Vermont reports that his service as a Secret Service special agent lasted 10 years. The agency says he also worked on multiple protection details at DHS Headquarters, the US Naval Observatory and The White House. According to the release, he received specialized onsite training through the Department of Homeland Security at the Idaho National Laboratory in protecting information and operations technology environments.

According to the State of Vermont, Toney joins the Agency of Digital Services at a time when more sophisticated cyberattacks on state and local governments are rising.

According to ready.vermont.gov, the council was formed by the state, led by the Agency of Digital Services, together with Vermont businesses that deliver critical services to Vermonters.