Ken Kurz

Board Member

CIO | COPT Defense Properties

Ken brings over 20 years of leadership and operational experience in cybersecurity and network technologies as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for COPT Defense Properties (CDP).  Supporting CDP as CIO since 2016, he has prior experience as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the University of Delaware, CISO for the University of Oklahoma, and CIO for the US Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation. He also held various leadership positions within the Department of Defense, his final position prior to departing government service was as the head of the National Cryptographic Solutions Management Office responsible for overseeing the development of national cryptographic strategy, algorithm management, and capability roadmaps.

 

Ken is active in a number of industry cybersecurity and related organizations, including Cybersecurity Association, Inc. (formerly CAMI), the Real Estate Cyber Consortium (RECC), Building Cybersecurity (BCS), Real Estate ISAC, Commercial Cyber Facilities Working Group (CCWG)/InfraGard, Distech’s Innovation Advisory Board, and Realcomm.  He was also appointed to and acted as the Vice Chair of the Modernize Maryland Oversight Commission representing CAMI established by the Maryland legislature to advise the state CIO and CISO on IT and cybersecurity modernization.

 

He holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science in Information and Telecommunication Systems from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) via ISC2 since 2005 and was selected as ISC2’s winner of the 2010 Government Information Security Leadership Award for Technology Improvement from the community of information security professionals representing departments and agencies across the federal government.  Ken was also recognized as a Large Corporate Finalist by the 2022 Capital CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards for his outstanding leadership, management effectiveness, and business value created through technology innovation.