Deron Dahl is serving as the Silver State’s interim chief information security officer, following the retirement May 2 of CISO Bob Dehnhardt, a spokesperson for the state’s Office of the CIO confirmed to Government Technology.
Dahl was appointed interim state CISO effective May 2, as he continues in his permanent role as deputy CISO — a position he has held since July 2023. His appointment is intended to provide continuity for the state’s cybersecurity efforts as the search for Dehnhardt’s permanent replacement moves forward, Michael Hanna-Butros Meyering, chief communication and policy officer for the Nevada state CIO’s office, said via email.
A native of Western Canada, Dahl led enterprise security operations for the government of the Northwest Territories, where he served as CISO — managing incident response, vulnerability management, risk assessment and continuity planning. He worked in the Arctic, the Middle East, Central Europe and the Midwest before relocating to Nevada for what he calls his “next adventure,” Hanna-Butros Meyering said.
The new interim CISO is a graduate of the University of Maryland Global Campus, where he earned a Master of Science in cybersecurity and an MBA.
He steps in for an executive whose leadership was “instrumental to the whole state,” Hanna-Butros Meyering said, highlighting the lasting impact Dehnhardt’s guidance had on Nevada’s IT goals. Dehnhardt had been state CISO since 2017; and, before that, had served as information security officer for the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services since 2013.
As the state looks to build on the foundation Dehnhardt helped establish, no official timeline has been announced for choosing a permanent CISO. But, Hanna-Butros Meyering said, leaders hope to launch a competitive search as soon as a job posting is finalized.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information on Bob Dehnhardt’s tenure as Nevada state CISO.
