Dave Weinstein
Introduction
David J. Weinstein (born January 13, 1988) is the Chief Technology Officer of New Jersey. He was appointed to Governor Chris Christie's Cabinet on June 20, 2016. He is also a non-resident fellow with the Washington, DC-based think tank New America and he previously served at U.S. Cyber Command. In 2017, Weinstein was named "State Executive of the Year".
Education and early years
A native of Westfield, New Jersey, Weinstein attended Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey where he lettered in baseball and soccer. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University before earning his Master's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.
Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins, Weinstein joined U.S. Cyber Command, where he advocated with Admiral (Ret.) James Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, for splitting U.S. Cyber Command from the National Security Agency. In 2014 Forbes described Weinstein as one of "20 cyber policy experts to follow on Twitter".
First Chief Technology Officer of New Jersey
On June 20, 2016 Governor Chris Christie named Weinstein New Jersey's first Chief Technology Officer, calling him "an individual, who truly understands how to manage cyber risk across a large enterprise." Prior to his appointment as CTO, Weinstein had "spearheaded the implementation of Governor Christie’s New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, the State’s central hub for cyber operations and resources that is the first of its kind in the nation." He was praised for "bringing a fresh attitude" to information technology at the state level and instituting a "more vibrant and innovative culture" to attract talent and modernize public sector technologies. According to Politico, Weinstein's experience in both Washington and Trenton has led him to be "often called upon on the national scene to provide the state perspective."