Georgia’s government administration sector spans state agencies, county governments, and public service institutions responsible for critical infrastructure, citizen data, financial systems, and public safety operations. Cybersecurity leaders in this space operate under unique pressure—balancing transparency, regulatory mandates, budget constraints, and evolving threats, all while protecting services that millions rely on daily. The leaders featured here stand out for building resilient programs, modernizing legacy environments, and embedding security into the fabric of public service.
Vernon Greene — CISO, DeKalb County Government
Vernon Greene brings more than three decades of IT and security leadership experience across both public and private sectors. As CISO for DeKalb County Government, he has led multi-agency cyber incident response teams, developed policies across physical and information security domains, and aligned programs with frameworks including NIST, ISO 27001, CJIS, and PCI. His work reflects a holistic approach to security that integrates infrastructure, compliance, and operational response, particularly in environments where coordination across agencies is critical. Beyond execution, he has also contributed to awareness and education through publications and presentations, reinforcing the importance of cybersecurity culture in government.
Nathan Miller — CTO & CISO, Georgia Department of Education
Nathan Miller serves as both CTO and CISO for the Georgia Department of Education, giving him a unique dual perspective on technology strategy and security execution. His background includes more than a decade in education systems, progressing from network engineering to district-level technology leadership before moving into statewide responsibility. In his current role, he oversees security across education infrastructure that supports students, educators, and administrators at scale. His combined experience in infrastructure, leadership, and security positions him to align cybersecurity directly with the mission of modern digital education systems.
Terrence Slaton — CISO, Fulton County Government
Terrence Slaton has built his career within Fulton County Government, progressing from network administration to Information Security Manager and ultimately CISO. His experience spans infrastructure engineering, virtualization, endpoint management, physical security systems, and threat detection technologies. That hands-on technical background gives him a grounded understanding of how systems operate in real environments, which is critical when overseeing county-wide cybersecurity programs. His leadership reflects a blend of operational depth and long-term institutional knowledge, both of which are essential in securing large, complex government ecosystems.
Brian Garrison — CISO, Clayton County Board of Commissioners
Brian Garrison leads cybersecurity for Clayton County, where he has built the county’s first comprehensive information security program. His work includes developing multi-year cyber strategy, leading risk assessments, implementing NIST-aligned controls, and overseeing significant investments in infrastructure and security modernization. With a background that combines technical engineering, business administration, and public service, he emphasizes a people-first leadership approach while maintaining strong alignment with the core principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. His contributions highlight how local governments can mature their security posture through structured, long-term planning.
Matthew Puckett — CISO, Gwinnett County
Matthew Puckett leads cybersecurity for one of Georgia’s largest counties, where he established a dedicated cybersecurity division responsible for protecting systems serving nearly one million residents. His leadership includes building a 17-person team covering SOC operations, vulnerability management, compliance, and application security, as well as implementing frameworks aligned with the Center for Internet Security. He has also played a key role in shaping governance, advising leadership on risk, and integrating cybersecurity into broader county initiatives. His work reflects the increasing scale and complexity of county-level cybersecurity operations.
Shirlan Johnson — CISO, Georgia Department of Human Services
Shirlan Johnson leads cybersecurity at the Georgia Department of Human Services, where the protection of sensitive data such as PII, PHI, and federal tax information is paramount. Her experience spans compliance, auditing, policy development, and information assurance across both federal and state regulatory environments, including IRS 1075, CJIS, and other frameworks. She has built a career around aligning security programs with regulatory requirements while ensuring operational effectiveness across large agencies. Her background also includes defense-sector information assurance work, adding further depth to her approach in managing risk in highly regulated environments.
Bill Wyatt — CISO & CIO, State of Georgia Office of the State Treasurer
Bill Wyatt oversees both IT and cybersecurity for the State of Georgia Office of the State Treasurer, where the protection of financial systems and assets is critical. With more than 25 years of experience, he has led major infrastructure redesigns to improve resilience, availability, and risk reduction in environments responsible for managing tens of billions in assets. His dual CIO and CISO role enables a tightly integrated approach to technology and security, ensuring that operational improvements and cybersecurity initiatives move in lockstep.
Defending Public Trust in Georgia’s Digital Government
What unites these leaders is their responsibility for protecting not just systems, but public trust. Whether securing county operations, education systems, financial infrastructure, or human services data, they operate in environments where failure has real societal impact. Their work reflects a shift in government cybersecurity—from reactive compliance to proactive, strategic defense—ensuring that Georgia’s public sector remains resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats.
Explore more leaders shaping cybersecurity across industries on our CISOs to Watch series.