Maureen Falvella serves as the Acting Director and NIH Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). She previously held the role of Acting NIH CISO, where she provided leadership and oversight for Governance, Risk, and Compliance; Cybersecurity Operations; and Infrastructure and Data Protection.
Ms. Falvella brings more than fifteen years of technical and leadership experience in developing strategies, directing operations, and managing budgets to safeguard the National Institutes of Health (NIH) information assets. Prior to her roles within OCIO, she served as the CISO and Information System Security Officer (ISSO) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
She holds a Master of Science in Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, both from the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).
In her capacity as a senior leader, Ms. Falvella has represented OCIO at the 2025 AFCEA Bethesda Health IT Summit. During a NIH-focused breakout session, she discussed strategies for balancing emerging technologies with operational needs, emphasizing cybersecurity as a strategic enabler, positioning risk management as a framework for setting guardrails rather than obstacles, and underscoring the value of collaboration across Institutes and Centers.