CyberEdBoard Profiles in Leadership: Gary Gooden

Ventura County's Deputy CIO Focuses on IAM, Recovery and Modern Infrastructure Tom Field (SecurityEditor) • December 26, 2025

Ventura County, California, depends on secure, reliable technology to support public safety, essential services and daily operations. Identity management plays a central role in that mission. A strong program helps protect systems, supports accountability and ensures access aligns with user roles across a complex government environment, said Gary Gooden, county deputy CIO.

See Also: Proof of Concept: Rethinking Identity for the Age of AI Agents

Gooden's priorities include creating a countywide identity and access management program, advancing a manageable disaster recovery capability, and modernizing shared infrastructure. These efforts support emergency services, local cities, water districts, transportation and healthcare partners. Clear problem statements and effective storytelling help obtain buy-in, he said.

"Being able to articulate a problem statement in a way where you can do proper storytelling has been extremely critical in ...