Alissa Johnson moves into health care info security position

Alissa Johnson, the former deputy chief information officer at the White House, has accepted a position as chief information security officer at Stryker Corp., a multibillion-dollar medical technology firm based in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

“They offer a diverse array of innovative medical technologies, including reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products to help people lead more active and more satisfying lives,” Johnson wrote in an email to friends and colleagues obtained by FedScoop.

“My role as CISO leads and oversees activities relating to Information Security across the company as well as the standards and governance around information security related to products. At Stryker, I will lead and manage information security initiatives globally and will work closely with the different businesses Information Security leaders and regional infrastructure heads to ensure security policy or strategy is implemented in a consistent way,” she said. “I am so excited for the opportunity to apply all of my rich experience to the healthcare industry and I am thrilled to be joining Stryker with the great work that they do helping others.”

Johnson announced her departure in January. She served in the White House since March 2012, helping modernize the Executive Office of the President’s IT systems, using cloud services and virtualization, employing new cybersecurity strategies, and chairing the OCIO Investment Review Board and Government and Contractor Project Review Boards. Johnson was also active in DigitalGov, the collaborative office within the General Services Administration that pushes federal agencies to embrace social networks.

Recently, Johnson receivied a FedScoop 50 award for her visionary work in “leading government into a new technology landscape with innovative ideas.” She was also part of a panel at FedScoop’s FedTalks that created #SmartIsBeautiful, a movement aimed at encouraging women to enter STEM fields.