Timothy Amerson

Former Acting CISO & Acting Associate Commissioner

Social Security Administration (SSA)

Timothy Amerson is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of CAMSO Consulting, bringing more than 30 years of distinguished service in federal cybersecurity leadership. Most recently, he served as the Acting CISO and Associate Commissioner for the Office of Information Security at the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he was recognized as a 2024 Top 100 Information Security Professional and a FedScoop Top 50 Federal Leader nominee.
At SSA, Mr. Amerson was responsible for enterprise-wide cybersecurity operations including Cybersecurity Risk Management (CSRM), Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), FISMA compliance metrics, 24x7 Security Operations Center (SOC), Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM), Red and Blue Team operations, Vulnerability Management, Insider Threat programs, Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM), and secure software practices. Under his leadership, SSA’s FISMA scores increased from 70% to 98%, elevating the agency to one of the top performers across all FedCIV CFO Act agencies.
Prior to SSA, Mr. Amerson held multiple senior leadership roles at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including Director of Infrastructure Cybersecurity Management, Cybersecurity Product Line Manager, and (Detailed) Director of the National Data Center Operations and Logistics program. He was named a FedScoop “Best Bosses in Federal IT” finalist in 2021 for his transformational leadership. He began his Federal Civilian IT career on the help desk at the Texas National Guard Joint Force Headquarters and rose through the ranks to become Chief Technology Officer.
Mr. Amerson’s 32-year military career is a decorated Army veteran with combat and stateside deployments, having served as Platoon Leader, Commander, and Operations Officer. Also served as Deputy of the Computer Emergency Response Team, Deputy of the Defense Cyberspace Operations Element, and established the first multi-state Cyber Protection Team (CPT). He participated in and led Red and Blue Team activities during major national cyber exercises, including Cyber Storm (DHS), Cyber Shield (USCYBERCOM), and Cyber Guard (NGB), in partnership with the NSA, FBI, FEMA, and ODNI. He has received numerous commendations, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, and recognition from several professional associations, including the Silver Order of Thor (Cyber), the Silver Order of Mercury (Signal), and the Bronze Order of Saint George (Cavalry).
He holds a B.S. in Computer Information Science, is a graduate of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence and the Command & General Staff College, and maintains over 30 certifications including CISSP, PMP, CEH (Hall of Fame), aC|CISO, CCZT, C|NDA, and the ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Expert credential.
In his personal time, Mr. Amerson is passionate about cybersecurity education and outreach. He serves as a conference coordinator for the Texas Cyber Summit and DEF CON, and mentors students at both the high school and collegiate levels of cybersecurity teams, resulting in numerous national awards, grants, and scholarships. He is a proud family man, devoted to his spouse, six children, three grandchildren, and two dogs.

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