BofA Hires Data Security Czar

Gregory Garcia, former assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to lead bank efforts to keep data secure.

Bank of America has created a new position for data security — called "partnership executive for cybersecurity and identity management" — and hired Gregory Garcia, former assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to fill it.

According to his Wikipedia page, Garcia oversaw the National Cyber Security Division, the Office of Emergency Communications, and the National Communications System in Homeland Security from 2006 to 2008. He managed a $500 million annual budget and several hundred government employees and contractors by the time of his departure from the public sector.

In his new role at Bank of America, Garcia will lead the bank's relationships with public and private partners in cybersecurity and identity management and will contribute to the bank's strategies in those areas.

"Cybersecurity and identity management have become global issues that require us to work with private and public partners across industries and borders to help us protect our customers," BofA CTO Marc Gordon said in a statement. "We're pleased with the progress we've made in solid, useful partnerships across all sectors, and we're confident adding Greg to the team will help us accelerate that progress and strengthen those bonds of partnership and mutual effort."

Garcia will be based in Washington D.C. and will report to enterprise information management executive Christopher P. Higgins.

"Cybersecurity and identity management issues affect all of us, so I'm pleased to join a company that has demonstrated leadership in these important areas," Garcia said.