Godfrey steps into the role following Jeff Maxon’s appointment to Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO) for the State of Kansas in October 2023. 

“John Godfrey’s years of experience in information security give him the unique perspective of the challenges we face when providing secure and dependable digital services to Kansans,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I look forward to working with him as he builds on our whole-of-state approach to cybersecurity.”   

Godfrey comes to the state after serving as the CISO-in-Residence and Founder of LionHeart Cybersecurity Advisors in Kansas City, KS. He also has extensive experience working with several of the State’s Regents universities. He spent more than 10 years with The University of Kansas Medical Center, six of which were as CISO and Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Security. Additionally, Godfrey spent more than five years as a Senior Cybersecurity Engineer, and Systems Administrator and Information Security Analyst at Kansas State University.  

“This is an exciting time to join the KISO and advance the strategies put in place by my predecessor,” John Godfrey said. “Coordination and collaboration are critical to advancing the cybersecurity posture of Kansas, and the KISO has been active in building a statewide cyber community that includes all 105 counties. I look forward to working with this dedicated group of professionals on what’s next for the future of information security.”  

In 2021, Godfrey was a member of the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force where he chaired the Statewide Communication & Collaboration Subcommittee. The Task Force produced a final report to the Governor’s Office that included forty-one recommendations.  

Godfrey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from American InterContinental University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies and Information Networking and Telecommunications from Fort Hays State University. He has a Master of Science in Information Assurance from Capital Technology University and is currently working on a Doctor of Science in Cybersecurity at Capital Technology University. Additionally, he has multiple licenses and professional certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS), Security+ and Network+ certifications from CompTIA, and several National Security Agency (NSA)/Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) certifications.