UnitedHealth Group
Vice President, Global Cyber Defense Operations, Information Risk Management at UnitedHealth Group
Dr. Kevin Charest serves as the VP, IT Security and Cyber Defense Operations for UnitedHealth Group. He is responsible for all facets of IT security operations, continuous monitoring, and cyber defense strategy across the enterprise. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group he served as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He was directly responsible for the HHS cybersecurity technology portfolio for the Department. HHS is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans. Prior to joining the federal government Dr. Charest served in a number of entrepreneurial and senior executive positions in the private sector. His leadership in technology applications, innovation, and security were instrumental to the development of numerous products and services. Dr. Charest currently serves as a Board member for (ISC)² the largest international information security certifying body in the world. Additionally, he works across multiple industries and platforms focused on information sharing for cyber defense improvement broadly.
Dr. Charest holds a Ph.D. in Cybersecurity from Capella University. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of West Georgia and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Central Arkansas. He is also a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army.