Who We Are
ABOUT OUR REGION
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Region 8's Headquarters are in Denver, Colorado |
Serving just over 11 million people and covering 573,259 square miles of mountains, rivers, high deserts, plains, farmland, urban areas, unique geologic features and one of the largest coal reserves in the world, Region 8 is a complicated and ever-changing part of the country. Natural risks impacting the area are diverse. Drought and wildfire in summer and fall, flash floods following extreme rain and hail events in spring, plus snow and ice storms in winter all pose significant threats to critical infrastructure and the surrounding communities. Adverse human-caused events, such as cyber and physical security attacks, chemical hazards, and shooting and bombing incidents, also have lasting and dramatic effects. Regardless of the nature or cause of an incident, CISA Region 8 staff is ready to help partners build resilience and readiness for mitigating risk and provide training and program exercises to support preventative and proactive planning.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
- Shawn Graff, Regional Director
- Joseph O'Keefe, Deputy Regional Director
- Andre Mouton, Executive Officer
- Rebecca Franco, Regional Operations Manager
- Sky Henning, Chief of Chemical Security
- Scott Davis, Chief of Protective Security (Acting)
- David Sonheim, Chief of Cybersecurity
OUR WORK
Current Activities
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could spill over from Eastern Europe by way of malicious cyber activity against the U.S. homeland. Evolving intelligence indicates that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks. Every organization—large and small—must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber incidents. As the nation’s cyber defense agency, CISA stands ready to help organizations prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of cyberattacks. When cyber incidents are reported quickly, we can use this information to render assistance and as warning to prevent other organizations and entities from falling victim to a similar attack.
Our Shields Up! webpages have the latest information. Regional advisors are available to assist you. Please contact us with any reporting questions at: CISARegion8@hq.dhs.gov
Regional program spotlights
- Partnerships
- Federal cybersecurity
- Critical infrastructure security
- Industrial control systems
- Soft target security (crowded places and safe spaces)
- Chemical facility anti-terrorism standards
- Climate resilience
REGION 8 IN ACTION
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CISA is committed to working collaboratively with state and local governments, election officials, federal partners, and vendors to manage risks to national election infrastructure. In March, Regional Director Graff along with CSA Edman and PSA Davis joined election officials from South Dakota to talk election security. | In March, CISA Region 8 and Region 9 Protective Security Advisors toured Glen Canyon Dam with the Bureau of Reclamation and discussed critical infrastructure. CISA is proud to partner with Reclamation in protecting our nation's critical infrastructure like dams and power plants. | Happy Women in Cyber Month! This March, Region 8 applauds North Dakota Cybersecurity Advisor, Tanya Taplin (top right, bottom center), who is inspiring girls, like her daughters Faith (top left, bottom right) and Grace (bottom left), to pursue cybersecurity. Faith joined Tanya at North Dakota's first ever Cyber Madness in February. |
High school students from across North Dakota participated in the first ever Cyber Madness competition this February in Bismarck. Our partners, the North Dakota Information Technology Department hosted. |