Mike O'Connor

He also serves as USDA’s Federal Senior Intelligence Coordinator, Senior Agency Official for Classified National Security Information, Senior Agency Official for Counterintelligence, and Continuity Coordinator.  In this role, he plays an integral part in USDA’s preparedness against any disruptions to the mission essential functions of the Department and supports response coordination to multiple emergencies such as hurricanes, security threats, and COVID-19.  Prior to this position, he served as the Deputy Associate Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer where he was responsible for coordinating cyber incident detection, responding to and the handling of USDA with US-CERT, NSA, and other partners across the Federal Government. 

During his career, Mike has held a variety of other positions with the USDA, specifically within the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Departmental Management Emergency Programs Office, the Office of Operations and the U.S. Forest Service Public Affairs Office.  He began his Federal career as a writer/editor with the U.S. Forest Service.

He holds a Bachelors’ degree in English and Psychology from Skidmore College.