An expert in information technology and cybersecurity, was previously Information Security Officer

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – George Khalil, an expert in information technology and cybersecurity, has been named Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Riverside.

Khalil, a three-year City employee who most recently served as the Information Security Officer, begins his new post today (8/27). He replaces Lea Deesing, who was promoted earlier this year to Assistant City Manager.

“George Khalil has really elevated our citywide approach to cybersecurity, increasing safety for our data, our employees, and everyone who does business with us,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “I look forward to him applying the same level of professionalism and excellence to his new post.”

Khalil has spent 20 years managing networks, servers, storage and security infrastructure, as well as leading enterprise security architecture, compliance, auditing and policy development for government agencies, critical infrastructure, and law enforcement sectors.

Prior to entering public service, he worked for several Fortune 500s, and Fortune 1000s such as EarthLink Networks, SeeBeyond Technologies, and Sun Microsystems. In addition to his extensive career experience, George is also a certified intrusion analyst, incident handler, network, and systems auditor, Forensic Analyst, Project Manager and Certified Security Expert. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute.

Under Khalil’s leadership, the City of Riverside won the 2017 program excellence award from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for its next generation municipal cyber security program. He wrote extensively about data loss prevention in the July 2017 edition of Western City Magazine — http://www.westerncity.com/Western-City/June-2017/Data-Loss-Prevention-and-Cybersecurity-A-Practical-Guide/ — and has presented at SANS Network Security Conferences, the Southern California Mayor’s conference, the City Clerks Association of California, the Inland Southern California Cybersecurity Summit, and many others.

“George Khalil is a leader in cybersecurity and is especially well-regarded in Inland Southern California,” Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Conder said. “When he frequently brings regional IT leaders together to explore issues of common concern, we all benefit.”

His salary will be $175,000.