CISO appointment
Gwen Gann named State Chief Information Security Officer at Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech)
Gwen Gann is the State Chief Information Security Officer of Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech). Gwen joins from HealthFirst, where they served as Technology Director.
Records: Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) · Gwen Gann · Career profile on CISO Spotlights ↗
| Person | Gwen Gann |
|---|---|
| New role | State Chief Information Security Officer |
| Company | Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) |
| Previous role | Technology Director, HealthFirst |
| Announced | September 18, 2026 |
| Source | govtech.com |
Context from the record
- Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) is filed under Government & Public Sector, North America, on our record.
- Other security leaders of Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) on our record: Ralph Johnson (State Chief Information Security Officer; departure announced on September 18, 2026).
Other Government & Public Sector appointments in the third quarter of 2026
- Sherman Chu, Chief Information Security Officer, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
- Mike Marshall, State Chief Information Security Officer, California Department of Technology
- James Wilkinson, Chief Information Security Officer, City of Dallas
What this move signals
Gwen Gann, formerly technology director at HealthFirst, has been named Washington State's next CISO at Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech), succeeding Ralph Johnson who retired earlier in September 2026. Her first day in the role was Wednesday, according to state officials.
The announcement, published by GovTech on September 18, 2026, says Gwen Gann has been named the next state chief information security officer at Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech). It says her first day in the role was Wednesday, according to state officials. It describes her as a technologist who has worked in healthcare and financial management.
According to the announcement, Gann was most recently technology director at HealthFirst, a hospital products company, according to LinkedIn. Before that, she was CIO for Public Partnerships, a financial management services company, for more than six years.
The announcement says she takes the place of Ralph Johnson, who had served as state CISO since 2022 before retiring earlier this month. Gann said she aims to help state agencies "become more resilient, efficient, and prepared for what comes next."
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