William Brinkley has taken over as chief information security officer for the Badger State, according to an announcement from the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
His predecessor, Troy Stairwalt, left the job in March, a position he had held since 2023.
"Joining Wisconsin’s dedicated public servants to advance cybersecurity is a privilege,” Brinkley said in the statement. “This role offers a meaningful opportunity to protect critical state resources and ensure cybersecurity resilience essential for public trust by safeguarding technology that empowers workers and strengthens our communities.”
Brinkley comes from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, where he was most recently director of information technology operations. He worked at that federal agency for 16 years, including as information system security officer and compliance lead, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Before that, Brinkley was an IT specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and computer system security analyst for Lockheed Martin.
“There are ever-growing pressures when it comes to cybersecurity, both here in Wisconsin and nationwide, and we’re excited to have Bill join the team to help strengthen our already robust cyber efforts as well as provide guidance to local government and critical sector entities across the state,” said Trina Zanow, the state’s CIO, in the statement.
