Universities and research institutions operate some of the most complex digital environments in the world. From safeguarding sensitive student data to protecting federally funded research, higher education cybersecurity leaders must balance openness, collaboration, and academic freedom with increasingly sophisticated threat landscapes.
As part of Women’s History Month, this feature highlights several female cybersecurity leaders helping shape the future of information security across universities and research institutions. These professionals are guiding cybersecurity strategy, strengthening governance frameworks, and building security cultures that support both innovation and institutional resilience.
Janet L. Rathod — Chief Information Security Officer, Johns Hopkins University
Janet L. Rathod serves as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Appointed in 2024, she oversees cybersecurity strategy for one of the world’s leading academic medical and research institutions.
Before joining Johns Hopkins, Rathod served as Global Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Citigroup and previously led cyber operations and intelligence initiatives at Capital One. Earlier in her career she spent more than 16 years with the FBI, including leadership roles in counterintelligence and cyber operations. Her experience across government, financial services, and academia provides a unique perspective on managing cyber risk in highly complex institutions.
Holly Drake — Chief Information Security Officer, University of Central Florida
Holly Drake serves as Chief Information Security Officer and Associate Vice President at the University of Central Florida. She is widely recognized for building mature cybersecurity programs across large public-sector environments.
Prior to joining UCF, Drake served as the State Chief Information Security Officer for Ohio, where she strengthened statewide cybersecurity strategy, expanded governance programs, and improved maturity under the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Her earlier work at The Ohio State University focused on privacy governance and cybersecurity strategy for one of the largest research universities in the United States.
Donna Kidwell — Chief Information Officer, University of Toronto
Donna Kidwell serves as Chief Information Officer at the University of Toronto and brings a strong focus on cybersecurity governance and digital trust within one of Canada’s largest research universities.
Her role oversees enterprise technology strategy including cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, learning technologies, and institutional IT governance. Kidwell is widely recognized for advancing secure digital environments that support research, teaching, and global academic collaboration while protecting sensitive data across complex institutional systems.
Nita Awatramani — Chief Information Security Officer, Kansas State University
Nita Awatramani serves as Chief Information Security Officer at Kansas State University, where she leads enterprise security strategy, risk management, and governance programs across the university.
Before joining Kansas State, she held senior cybersecurity leadership roles at the University of Southern California and Verizon. Awatramani is known for building security maturity programs aligned with frameworks such as NIST CSF and ISO 27001, while supporting complex research environments and regulatory requirements tied to federal research programs.
Corrina Taylor — Chief Information Security Officer, Southern Methodist University
Corrina Taylor serves as Chief Information Security Officer at Southern Methodist University, where she leads cybersecurity strategy, governance, and risk management across the institution’s academic and research environments.
Taylor specializes in aligning cybersecurity programs with institutional strategy while enabling digital innovation. Her work includes developing enterprise security governance frameworks, strengthening incident response programs, and helping executive leadership and boards translate cybersecurity risk into actionable business decisions.
Leilani Lauger — Chief Information Security Officer, University of Notre Dame
Leilani Lauger serves as Chief Information Security Officer at the University of Notre Dame, where she leads cybersecurity operations, identity and access management, and security governance initiatives.
She previously served as Chief Information Security Officer at the University of Chicago and has held security leadership roles across multiple major universities. Lauger’s career has focused on strengthening cybersecurity programs within large research institutions while ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory and security standards.
Cybersecurity Leadership in Higher Education
Higher education institutions face unique cybersecurity challenges, including protecting research data, securing large distributed networks, and supporting open collaboration across global academic communities. Effective cybersecurity leadership is essential to maintaining trust, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring the continuity of teaching and research operations.
The leaders featured here represent professionals helping universities strengthen their cybersecurity posture while enabling the innovation and collaboration that define modern higher education.
For more profiles of women shaping the cybersecurity landscape, visit our Female Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch in Financial Services feature.