As the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Minnesota, John Israel leads the executive branch cybersecurity teams within Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), the state information technology agency. The MNIT enterprise security office monitors, detects, and coordinates with key partners to prevent and respond to cyber threats that target state systems and services, and supports advanced cybersecurity defenses for local governments through state and local partnerships.

The office also supports cybersecurity planning and provides guidance to state executive branch agencies that connect Minnesotans to state services and programs every day. These teams have helped implement Governor Walz’s Executive Order 22-20 on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, which calls on state agencies to prioritize resources to improve state network security and build strong collaboration, threat intelligence sharing, and cybersecurity awareness with critical infrastructure providers statewide.