Virginia’s government administration sector spans state agencies, county governments, and municipal offices responsible for delivering public services to millions of residents. Cybersecurity leaders across Virginia’s public sector must protect sensitive citizen data, maintain compliance with state and federal regulations, and ensure the continuity of critical government operations against an evolving threat landscape.
The professionals below represent cybersecurity leadership helping shape security strategy across Virginia’s government administration.
Sangeetha Puligella — Chief Information Security Officer, Town of Leesburg
Sangeetha Puligella serves as Chief Information Security Officer for the Town of Leesburg, where she leads cybersecurity governance, risk management, and compliance initiatives for the municipality. Her work spans security policy development, threat and vulnerability management, incident response planning, and staff awareness training, with alignment to frameworks including NIST CSF, ISO 27001, CJIS, and HIPAA.
Dr. Elizabeth Di Bene — Chief Information Security Officer, Loudoun County Government
Dr. Elizabeth Di Bene serves as Chief Information Security Officer for Loudoun County Government, where she leads cybersecurity strategy and risk management for one of Virginia’s fastest-growing counties. A Certified Information Security Manager with expertise in FinOps, her work focuses on building digital resilience, strengthening security governance, and maintaining the operational efficiency of systems that support county services and community trust.
Richard Archambault — Chief Information Security Officer, Arlington County
Richard Archambault serves as Chief Information Security Officer for Arlington County, where he leads cybersecurity and governance programs for the Washington D.C.-area jurisdiction. Before joining Arlington County, he served as Vice President of Technology at Deluxe Australia and held digital product leadership roles at Ascent Media, bringing a cross-sector perspective that informs his approach to driving security culture change and building high-performing public sector teams.
Freddie Howery — Chief Information Security Officer, Roanoke County
Freddie Howery serves as Chief Information Security Officer for Roanoke County, where he leads the county’s cybersecurity and information risk management program. His work focuses on protecting systems that support critical public services, overseeing security operations and incident response, and advising executive leadership on cyber risk in alignment with the county’s strategic objectives and regulatory requirements.
Jason Belford — Chief Information Security Officer, City of Alexandria
Jason Belford serves as Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Alexandria, bringing more than eight years of cybersecurity leadership from the University of Virginia, where he oversaw information security for both academic and healthcare divisions. He holds certifications including CISSP, GPEN, GCFE, and GCIH, and has experience building security frameworks, managing incident response, and developing security awareness programs at scale.
Charles Serrett — Chief Information Security Officer, City of Fredericksburg
Charles Serrett serves as Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Fredericksburg, where he leads cybersecurity strategy for the municipal government. He progressed through IT operations management and network project management roles within the city before stepping into the CISO role, bringing hands-on experience in network infrastructure, systems administration, and security operations to his current position.
Robert Branch — Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, City of Virginia Beach
Robert Branch serves as Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Virginia Beach, where he supports enterprise cybersecurity strategy for one of Virginia’s largest municipalities. His background includes systems and network engineering roles within the City of Virginia Beach and the City of Chesapeake, giving him deep experience in public sector infrastructure that informs his current security leadership responsibilities.
Brenna Doherty — Chief Information Security Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia
Brenna Doherty serves as Chief Information Security Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia, bringing more than 20 years of experience in IT leadership, security strategy, and executive management across public and private sectors. Her background includes CIO and CTO roles at Franklin Federal Savings Bank and Towne Insurance, and she holds certifications including CISA and CMMC AB Registered Practitioner. She also serves as an adjunct professor at VCU and is founder of Ramsey Technology Services.
Cybersecurity Leadership Across Virginia’s Public Sector
Virginia’s government agencies and municipalities operate some of the most complex and compliance-intensive technology environments in the state, where protecting citizen data and maintaining public trust are foundational to every security decision. The leaders featured here reflect the breadth of that responsibility, from small town governments to statewide programs.
Virginia’s public sector organizations frequently partner with defense contractors and technology firms that support mission-critical systems. Explore how security leaders protect those environments in CISOs to Watch in Virginia’s Defense & Space Industry.