I am delighted to announce that Arlene Yetnikoff will join UC San Diego as the Executive Director of the Office of Information Assurance and campus Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), effective February 14, 2024.
In this role, Yetnikoff will be responsible for ensuring the secure handling, availability, and confidentiality of information at UC San Diego. The team she will lead manages cybersecurity operations, identity and access management services, security engineering, cybersecurity risk and compliance, and regulated research security programs.
Yetnikoff's career in information security spans over 30 years, with more than 20 of those years dedicated to higher education roles. Since 2021, she has served as CISO at California Institute of Technology, and previously held the Director of Information Security position at DePaul University for 17 years.
In addition to her professional achievements, Yetnikoff has made substantial contributions to academia. She has taught computer and network security and digital forensics as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, and digital forensics and information security management as an Adjunct Lecturer at DePaul University.
Her leadership in the field extends beyond her academic experience. Yetnikoff actively participates in several security networking and education collaboratives, contributes to leadership councils, leads discussions, and plays a pivotal role in agenda development.
We are confident that Yetnikoff's extensive experience and proactive approach to information security will significantly benefit our campus. Her appointment reinforces our commitment to upholding the highest information security and privacy standards at UC San Diego.
Please join us in warmly welcoming Arlene Yetnikoff to our community. I would also like to sincerely thank our campus partners for their assistance in the selection process.
