Nicol C. Lewis has been selected as NC State’s next chief information security officer (CISO), effective June 1. She is an accomplished security professional with two decades of experience leading enterprise cybersecurity, risk and compliance programs in both higher education and the public sector.

Lewis has served as CISO at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, since 2021. In this role, she oversees a comprehensive, enterprisewide program encompassing security operations, awareness, research security and vendor oversight.

“Nicol’s expertise and strategic leadership will be invaluable to the university. Our commitment to advancing NC State’s security posture, as well as protecting sensitive data and ensuring regulatory readiness, will continue to grow with Nicol at the helm,” said Marc Hoit, vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer.

Before joining Columbus State, Lewis was the CISO for the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, where she led cybersecurity and IT governance strategy for a statewide criminal justice agency. Her career also includes key roles with the Georgia Technology Authority and the Georgia Public Library Service, directing information security and IT governance and contributing to statewide risk management and compliance initiatives.

Lewis has a proven record of building and maturing organizationwide security strategies that integrate governance, operations, research security and compliance.

She holds a master’s degree in information technology from Valdosta State University and a bachelor’s in history from the University of Georgia.