Timothy Amerson
Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO),
GuidePoint Security
Timothy Amerson is currently the Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at GuidePoint Security. While also serving as the the President of the Board of Directors for The KEY (Keep Elevating Yourself) Community Non-Profit. He brings more than 30+ years of distinguished service in federal cybersecurity leadership. Most recently, he served as the CISO and Associate Commissioner at the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he was recognized as a 2023, 2024 and 2025 Top 100 Information Security Professional; 2024 FedScoop Top 50 Federal Leader Nominee; 2025 CyberScoop Government Leaders, FedScoop Top 50 Federal Leader Nominee, and Finalist US Forces in Business Lifetime Achievement Award.
At SSA, Mr. Amerson was responsible for enterprise-wide cybersecurity operations including Cybersecurity Risk Management (CSRM), Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), FISMA compliance metrics, 24x7 Security Operations Center (SOC), Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM), Red and Blue Team operations, Vulnerability Management, Insider Threat programs, Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM), and secure software practices. Under his leadership, SSA’s FISMA scores increased from 70% to 98%, elevating the agency to one of the top performers across all Federal Civilian agencies.
Prior to SSA, Mr. Amerson held multiple senior leadership roles at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including Director of Infrastructure Cybersecurity Management, Cybersecurity Product Line Manager, and (Detailed) Director of the National Data Center Operations and Logistics program. He was named a 2021 FedScoop “Best Bosses in Federal IT” finalist for his transformational leadership. He began his Federal Civilian IT career on the help desk at the Texas National Guard Joint Force Headquarters and rose through the ranks to become Chief Technology Officer.
Mr. Amerson is a decorated Army veteran with 32 years of service, including combat and state-side deployments, and has served as Platoon Leader, Commander, and Operations Officer. Also served as Deputy of the Computer Emergency Response Team, Deputy of the Defense Cyberspace Operations Element, and established the first multi-state Cyber Protection Team (CPT). He participated in and led Red and Blue Team activities during major national cyber exercises, including Cyber Storm (DHS), Cyber Shield (USCYBERCOM), and Cyber Guard (NGB), in partnership with the NSA, FBI, FEMA, and ODNI. He has received numerous commendations, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, and recognition from several professional associations, including the Silver Order of Thor (Cyber), the Silver Order of Mercury (Signal), and the Bronze Order of Saint George (Cavalry).
He holds a Master of Science in Computer Science a Specialization in Cybersecurity (Summa Cum Laude) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, is a graduate of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence and the Command & General Staff College, and maintains over 30 certifications, including Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH and Hall of Fame), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (aC|CISO), Certified Competency in Zero Trust (CCZT), International Society of Automation (ISA)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62443 Cybersecurity Expert, and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).
In his personal time, Mr. Amerson is passionate about cybersecurity, education, and outreach. He served as a conference coordinator for the Texas Cyber Summit and DEF CON, and mentored students on cybersecurity teams at both the high school and collegiate levels, resulting in numerous national awards, grants, and scholarships.
