Tennessee’s cybersecurity leadership bench spans healthcare, insurance, public-sector technology, and enterprise transformation. The women in this feature represent leaders working across information security, digital operations, risk management, resilience, and large-scale technology strategy in organizations that serve patients, policyholders, businesses, and state agencies. Some hold formal CISO titles with direct responsibility for security programs, while others shape cyber outcomes through broader executive roles that sit close to digital modernization, governance, and enterprise risk. That range reflects a larger truth about Tennessee’s leadership landscape. Cybersecurity influence in the state increasingly comes from leaders who can connect security, technology, and business execution at scale.
Rosemarie Lee — Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Rosemarie Lee is Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, where she leads information security with a background shaped by more than 20 years across healthcare, financial services, insurance, and military environments. Before joining BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, she served as Director, IS Security & Threat Management at BayCare Health System, where she oversaw security functions for a large health system spanning hospitals, medical offices, users, and connected devices, with responsibility for threat intelligence, vulnerability management, digital forensics, eDiscovery, and 24/7 incident response. Earlier roles at WellCare Health Plans, DTCC, SAIC, and the United States Air Force add further depth across compliance, risk reduction, remediation, and security engineering. She stands out for her long track record in round-the-clock security operations and for leading programs designed to reduce risk while maintaining strong compliance and operational discipline.
Lana Davenport — Chief Information Security Officer, Sylvamo
Lana Davenport is Chief Information Security Officer at Sylvamo, bringing broad experience across IT, information security, DevSecOps, cloud security, OT security, vulnerability management, incident response, risk management, and data security. Before taking on the CISO role at Sylvamo, she served as Director of Cyber Security at TruGreen and spent more than 13 years at FedEx Services in information security leadership and technical roles covering cloud security, security operations, standards and policy, risk management and governance, regulations, and vendor management. Her earlier work at International Paper and the University of Tennessee adds further grounding in enterprise technology, development, reporting, and coaching. She stands out for the breadth of her security leadership across cloud, OT, and enterprise environments, along with her experience leading large-scale initiatives that blend security, operations, and compliance.
Kristin Darby — Chief Information Officer, State of Tennessee
Kristin Darby serves as Chief Information Officer for the State of Tennessee, bringing more than 25 years of experience leading technology strategy, transformation, and operations across regulated industries including healthcare, finance, government, biotech, banking, construction, hospitality, and insurance. Before joining the state, she was Chief Information Officer at HarmonyCares and Enterprise Chief Information Officer at Envision Healthcare, with earlier CIO leadership at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Tenet Healthcare, and CRICO. Her background includes strategy, operations, product development, cybersecurity, and M&A, as well as board-level experience through her role as an Independent Director at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. She stands out for the scale and variety of her executive experience, and for her ability to connect digital transformation, governance, and technology leadership across both public and private-sector settings.
Shelia Anderson — EVP Chief Information & Digital Officer, Unum Group
Shelia Anderson is EVP Chief Information & Digital Officer at Unum Group, where she leads technology and digital strategy with a background rooted in financial services, insurance, consulting, and enterprise transformation. Before joining Unum, she served as EVP & Chief Information Officer at Aflac and earlier held senior CIO roles at Liberty Mutual Insurance and USAA, leading large organizations across cloud migration, agile transformation, digital enablement, and enterprise technology modernization. Her career also includes consulting leadership at Grant Thornton and technology leadership roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and EDS. She stands out for her scale of leadership, including oversight of large global teams and budgets, and for consistently driving technology transformation that supports business change, customer experience, and organizational maturity.
Patrice Bordron — SVP Chief Digital & Information Officer, Community Health Systems
Patrice Bordron is SVP Chief Digital & Information Officer at Community Health Systems, where she now leads digital and information strategy after previously serving as the organization’s Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer. Before joining Community Health Systems, she spent nearly a decade at Nationwide in CISO and IT risk leadership roles, with responsibility for cyber security, regulatory compliance, business continuity management, and crisis management services across financial and corporate technology lines of business. Her career reflects a consistent focus on mission-critical programs, transformational leadership, and business outcomes tied to growth and profitability. She stands out for the way she bridges cybersecurity and broader enterprise technology leadership, bringing both security depth and executive transformation experience to one of Tennessee’s major healthcare organizations.
Dena Campbell — Chief Information Officer, Highspring
Dena Campbell is Chief Information Officer at Highspring, where she leads the company’s overall IT strategy and enterprise initiatives to support growth, modernization, and business alignment. She previously served as Chief Information Officer at Vaco by Highspring, where she worked closely with senior leadership to drive strategic technology and program portfolios, align architecture and infrastructure, modernize applications, improve data governance, and increase digital adoption across the business. Earlier roles in consulting, healthcare technology, operations, and startup leadership add further depth across implementation strategy, process improvement, vendor management, and business transformation. She stands out for her ability to connect IT strategy with enterprise change, especially in fast-growth and transformation-focused environments.
Where Tennessee’s Cyber and Technology Leadership Converge
The leaders in this Tennessee feature reflect a state where cybersecurity influence is closely tied to healthcare, insurance, government, and enterprise transformation. Their responsibilities differ, but each works in an environment where resilience, governance, trust, and operational continuity matter at a very high level. Some lead formal security programs, while others shape cyber outcomes through broader digital and information leadership. Together, they show why Tennessee deserves attention as a place where cybersecurity leadership is increasingly defined by both defensive strength and executive range.
Explore more profiles of the amazing women shaping cybersecurity across numerous industries in our Women’s Month collection.