Colorado OIT Taps Jill Fraser to Serve as State CISO

Jill Fraser has been selected to serve as the state of Colorado’s next chief information security officer (CISO), according to an announcement today from the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT).

The role was previously held by Ray Yepes, who served from April 2022 to September 2023. Fraser, OIT’s senior director of security operations, took over in an interim capacity following his departure.

“I am thrilled to have Jill on the team,” said Colorado CIO David Edinger in the announcement. Edinger was appointed to the role in November 2023. “As we continue to see the ingenuity of those who strive to cause harm by stealing people’s data, her expertise is just what is needed to protect state systems further.”

Fraser first joined OIT in January 2023 after having served Jefferson County, Colo., as CISO for over a decade. During that time, she helped the county develop a unified security program within a decentralized IT structure, shifted the county culture around security, and helped create Colorado’s Whole of State program in 2018.

“Security is a part of everyone’s job, and cross-agency collaboration on our collective problems will ensure we move forward together and become a stronger, more secure Colorado,” Fraser said in the announcement, likening security as necessary maintenance to protect state systems in the way that changing a car’s oil and tires ensure the safety of the vehicle.

Another significant experience in her work at the county level was her participation in the MS-ISAC Leadership Mentoring Program, which Fraser toldGovernment Technology about in 2018, describing the program as a “tremendous gift” to those in public-sector security.

Fraser holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hanover College and is a Certified CISO and Certified Information Systems Security Professional.