Bernie Cowens is Executive Vice President and Chief Security Officer for Utility Technology Solutions, a New York-based investment company focused on modernizing and protecting the grid and other critical infrastructure.

Most recently, Bernie was Vice President and Chief Security Officer for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, one of the largest combined gas and electric utility companies in the United States. In this position, Bernie led company-wide efforts to identify and manage physical and cyber security risks to protect PG&E's people, critical infrastructure, information assets, and business operations.

Before joining PG&E, Bernie was the Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for First American Financial, where he oversaw all aspects of cyber security for the company and its global business units. He has held senior security executive positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Experian, and the Automobile Club of Southern California. He previously served as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer for SafeNet, a global encryption technology manufacturing company.

A former military officer and Special Agent, Bernie has extensive international counterintelligence, counter-terrorism, and physical security experience. He completed his military service as the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Security Officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency in Los Angeles. He has more than 30 years of security and technology leadership experience, and he earned the CISSP and CISA designations.

Bernie has a bachelor's degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in management information systems from Bowie State University.