Tom McDermott

Tom McDermott has extensive work experience in the field of technology and information security. Tom currently serves as the Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at EmblemHealth. In this role, they lead the enterprise Infrastructure and Operations areas, as well as the Enterprise Cyber Security and Business Resiliency disciplines for the EmblemHealth family of companies. Tom has also been responsible for rebuilding the Information Security program at EmblemHealth from the ground up after a significant business disruption. Under their leadership, the company has seen measurable and sustained improvement in their Cyber Security programs and overall IT infrastructure environments.

Prior to their current role, Tom worked as the Assistant Vice President of Information Security Governance / CISO at EmblemHealth, where they managed a team of 25 Information Security subject matter experts. Tom successfully implemented a threat and vulnerability program that resulted in a significant reduction in technical vulnerabilities and improvement in OS patching levels.

Before joining EmblemHealth, Tom held the position of Director of Information Technology at Touchstone Health Partnership. Tom played a major role in the re-design of internal processes to better utilize limited resources, resulting in improved systems availability and customer satisfaction. During their tenure, Touchstone completed the replacement of all IT infrastructure without causing any disruption to the business.

Tom also served as the Vice President of Technical Services at Physician WebLink, an E-Health company, where they reported directly to the Chief Information Officer. In this role, they provided a full range of services to physicians, including Electronic Medical Records and internet-based medical management solutions.

Additionally, Tom worked at New York Life for several years, first as an Assistant Vice President in the Health Insurance division, NYLCARE, and later as the AVP responsible for networking and Intel platforms across the enterprise. Their advanced systems platform played a significant role in the successful spin-off and subsequent sale of NYLCARE to Aetna.

Overall, Tom McDermott has a diverse background in technology and information security, with proven experience in leading and improving cybersecurity programs and IT infrastructure environments.

Tom McDermott earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in Infosec from James Madison University, which they completed between 2010 and 2016. Prior to that, they obtained a Master of Science (MS) degree in Computer Methodology from Baruch College between 1988 and 1993. Tom also completed their Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Computer Science at New York University from 1982 to 1986. Additionally, they hold a Certificate in Managing Risk in the Information Age from Harvard University, which was completed through an online short course.