Mike Horton
Full Name
Mike Horton
Job Title
Chief Data Officer
Company
DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
Speaker Bio
Mike Horton serves as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

In this role, Mr. Horton works collaboratively with OCIO executive directors, especially with the Chief Technology Officer Directorate and Components across the enterprise to enhance data processes and to develop policies and standards to ensure consistency of data structure. As CDO, he maintains responsibility for managing enterprise data standards to increase interoperability. Efforts include identifying collaborative approaches on improving data use; delineating processes to oversee the collection, storage, management and quality data; developing a data architecture; implementing appropriate data policies and complying with data protection regulations as well as establishing an agency data governance body chaired by the CDO.

Mr. Horton has served in a wide range of roles during his 15-year career at the Department. Prior to becoming the CDO, served as the Senior Advisor to the DHS Chief Information Officer (CIO), where he was responsible for information technology management, security, and sharing. He also served as the Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer within OCIO. He first joined DHS as the Information Technology Officer within the Office of Inspector General (OIG), establishing and building its first federal technical audit group. In 2015, he was named the Chief Information Officer of OIG, where he led efforts in cloud migration, programmatic cybersecurity discipline, network modernization, and remote workforce transformation. He joined DHS Headquarters in 2019, accepting an appointment as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and contributing to the Financial Systems Modernization program and the DHS financial audit.

Before joining the federal government, Mr. Horton held several leadership roles in the private sector, and the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and banking industries. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as an explosive ordnance disposal technician and a linguist.