Colin Ahern

Colin Ahern was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in February 2026 as New York State’s Director of Security and Intelligence. In this role, he leads a whole-of-state response to cyber, hybrid, and foreign malign influence threats, and coordinates the State’s defense industrial base, drone, counter-drone, and quantum initiatives.

Before this appointment, Mr. Ahern served as New York State’s first Chief Cyber Officer. Prior to joining state service, he was First Deputy Director of New York City Cyber Command and Acting Chief Information Security Officer for the City of New York. He also worked in cybersecurity in financial services.

Mr. Ahern enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve after 9/11 and later served on active duty as an intelligence officer. He deployed twice to Afghanistan, was awarded the Bronze Star, and ended his military career as a company commander in the Army Cyber Brigade where he oversaw the creation of a specialized cyberspace operations organization.

Mr. Ahern has taught at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. His academic and professional writing has appeared in USENIX, the Association for Computing Machinery, and The Washington Post. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

Mr. Ahern holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business. His family has lived in New York City for more than four generations, and he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.