Illinois’ government administration ecosystem depends on cybersecurity leaders who can protect sensitive public systems while supporting continuity, compliance, and public trust. The people in this feature reflect that responsibility across statewide offices, county government, and municipal administration. Their backgrounds span security operations, governance, infrastructure protection, incident response, and the practical work of strengthening resilience in complex public-sector environments.
Matthew Phelps — Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, Illinois Secretary of State
Matthew Phelps is deputy chief information security officer at the Illinois Secretary of State, bringing a background that combines federal advisory work, state security operations leadership, and technical experience across both military and private-sector environments. Before joining the Secretary of State’s office, he served as a cybersecurity advisor at CISA and held multi-year security operations leadership roles at the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology, including security operations manager and security operations center manager. Earlier positions at Caterpillar, the Air National Guard, STL, and the United States Air Force add depth in information security analysis, systems administration, and network management, making him a strong example of a public-sector cybersecurity leader with operational grounding and statewide experience.
Dan Sluga — Chief Information Security Officer, Illinois State Comptroller
Dan Sluga serves as chief information security officer at the Illinois State Comptroller, where he brings a blend of cybersecurity leadership, state technology governance, and broader public-sector IT management. Before taking on the Comptroller role, he served as co-acting statewide chief information security officer and deputy chief information security officer at the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology, and also spent time as acting chief information officer for the Illinois State Police. Earlier in his career, he was chief information officer for the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board and worked as an information systems analyst for the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. That progression gives him a strong foundation across security, governance, and mission-critical government technology operations.
Charles Ruehling — Chief Information Security Officer, Cook County Government
Charles Ruehling is chief information security officer for Cook County Government, bringing a career that spans federal service, national security work, and military telecommunications engineering. Before joining Cook County in 2018, he worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as a cyber threat analyst and certification and authorization official, and earlier served as cyber security program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. His earlier career included time with DISA and nearly two decades in the U.S. Army in telecommunications systems engineering roles, including an assignment with the Information Assurance Directorate at NSA. That background gives Ruehling a particularly strong profile for county-level government security leadership, combining public administration with defense-grade cyber and communications experience.
Bruce Coffing — Chief Information Security Officer, City of Chicago
Bruce Coffing is chief information security officer for the City of Chicago and brings more than two decades of experience across municipal government, major financial services, and consulting. Since taking the Chicago role in 2018, he has helped lead cybersecurity for one of the country’s largest cities, while also serving on the board of the Coalition of City CISOs, a group focused on strengthening municipal cybersecurity through collaboration and shared learning. Before joining the city, Coffing held senior vice president and vice president information security roles at Bank of America, where his work included cyber operations, access management, business continuity, and the integration of Countrywide Financial’s security practice. Earlier, he held technology risk and identity and access management leadership roles at ABN AMRO and was a senior manager at Accenture, giving him a background that blends enterprise-scale security strategy with the operational realities of public-sector leadership.
Dmitry Shub — Chief Information Security Officer, City of Evanston
Dmitry Shub serves as chief information security officer for the City of Evanston, where his role sits at the intersection of cybersecurity leadership, infrastructure architecture, and municipal service continuity. Since taking the CISO role in 2019, he has focused on maturing the city’s cyber program through NIST- and CIS-aligned approaches while supporting a secure and reliable technology environment for city departments and patrons. Earlier in Evanston, he served as IT network infrastructure and security manager, and before that held IT leadership and academic roles at Columbia College Chicago and WBEZ, among others. His background stands out for combining hands-on infrastructure expertise, security program building, and public-facing institutional experience across both municipal government and education.
Securing public services across Illinois
What stands out across this group is how closely cybersecurity in government administration is tied to continuity of service. These leaders are not only protecting systems and data. They are helping safeguard the agencies, offices, and public institutions Illinois residents rely on every day.
Explore more profiles of the leaders shaping cybersecurity across numerous industries in our CISOs to Watch collection.