Bill Watkins is the Director of Federal Information Technology (IT) Management within the Office of the Associate Administrator for Information Management and Chief Information Officer (OCIO) at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In this role, Mr. Watkins is responsible for the design, planning, implementation, and maintenance of NNSA's security systems infrastructure and ensuring cybersecurity is embedded in IT systems. He provides oversight to ensure the successful deployment of NNSA information systems, enterprise IT solutions, and network architectures to meet NNSA’s mission and security requirements.

Prior to joining NNSA, Mr. Watkins worked in the private sector as a federal government contractor operating in many roles to include IT Systems Engineer, Operations Manager, and Cybersecurity Solutions Architect to drive successful completion of various projects. In these roles, Mr. Watkins utilized his experience in systems engineering, coordinating, implementing, and developing IT security strategies and programs, to ensure the protection of IT assets and infrastructure. Additionally, Mr. Watkins has a wealth of knowledge in defining critical IT objectives, interpreting policies and effects on program needs, risk assessments, and testing security controls.

Mr. Watkins is a military veteran and began his career in the U.S. Marine Corps. After starting his studies in computer science as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, he finished his bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix. He received his master’s degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Information Assurance and Security from American Public University. Mr. Watkins holds Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications.