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Mike Steinmetz will make $176,419 a year to advise the governor on digital security policy.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Governor Gina Raimondo has appointed Mike Steinmetz, a former National Grid and National Security Agency manager, as Rhode Island's first cybersecurity officer.

Steinmetz, who started Monday, will be Raimondo's top adviser on digital security policy and lead the creation of a state cybersecurity strategy, according to a news release Tuesday from the governor's office.

"Modern infrastructure is more than just roads and bridges," Raimondo said the release. "It's also the digital connections we're making faster and more frequently than ever before."

Steinmetz will make $176,419 a year, according to Raimondo spokesman David Ortiz.

The cybersecurity officer position was created in the state budget approved by lawmakers last year and reports to the director of administration. It is not considered a cabinet position and does not require state Senate confirmation, Ortiz said.

Before joining state government, Steinmetz was a National Grid director of strategy and planning and director of governance and compliance. Before that, he worked for the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Security Agency.

Originally posted here:
Ex-NSA manager R.I.'s first cybersecurity officer - The Providence Journal