Buffkin / Baker Recruits Chief Information Security Officer for Oklahoma State University
May 13, 2026 – Partner-led executive search firm Buffkin / Baker has helped to recruit Marjorie McLagan as chief information security officer (CISO) of Oklahoma State University. Martin M. Baker and Chelsie Whitelock led the assignment. “Cybersecurity is foundational to everything we do at Oklahoma State University,” said Jason Ramsey, chief operating officer. “As we advance research, serve students and support Extension programs in all 77 counties, protecting our data and infrastructure isn’t just an IT priority; it’s essential to fulfilling our land-grant mission. Marjorie brings exactly the strategic expertise we need to safeguard our university community and the Oklahomans we serve.”
“Marjorie has built an impressive track record of strengthening cybersecurity programs in complex, mission-driven organizations,” said Charles McCann, Oklahoma State’s interim chief information officer. “Her experience in both military and higher education environments gives her a unique perspective on protecting sensitive data while enabling the collaboration and innovation that define university research and education.”
Ms. McLagan brings extensive experience in information security leadership. She spent 20 years with the United States Air Force, serving on active duty and later as a civilian contractor in a variety of IT leadership, operations and planning roles before joining Oregon State University in 2017. Most recently, she served as deputy chief information security officer at Oregon State, where she led security operations and focused on increasing the university’s cybersecurity maturity.
In her new role, Ms. McLagan will provide strategic leadership for the university’s comprehensive information security and cybersecurity programs. She will protect OSU’s digital assets, research data, student information and technology infrastructure. All are critical to the university’s land-grant mission of providing accessible education, conducting groundbreaking research and serving communities across Oklahoma.
“I’m excited to join Oklahoma State University and contribute to protecting the systems and data that support such important work,” <s. McLagan said. “Universities are unique environments. We need robust security to protect research and student information, and we also need to enable the open collaboration and discovery that drive innovation. I look forward to working with the OSU community to build a security program that protects our mission while empowering faculty, staff and students to do their best work.”
Oklahoma State University is a comprehensive research and land-grant university with statewide, national, and international responsibilities. Founded in 1890 as the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Oklahoma State has grown to become a premier modern land-grant university serving more than 35,000 students across a five-campus system. OSU offers more than 350 undergraduate and graduate degrees and options, as well as professional degree programs in medicine and veterinary medicine. OSU has 13,942 total employees, including 2,167 faculty.
Provost Search
In 2022, Buffkin / Baker helped to recruit Jeanette Mendez as Oklahoma State University’s provost. The provost serves as the chief academic officer of the university and reports directly to the president of the OSU system.
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Buffkin / Baker is a specialty boutique search firm composed of industry leaders in their respective fields and each has over a decade of retained search experience. Their focus as search professionals is to recruit leaders in digital marketing/advertising, technology, healthcare, media/entertainment, finance, higher education, and non-profit. The firm serves public, private, venture, and private equity-backed companies. Its office locations include Nashville, TN; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Winston Salem, NC, with affiliate offices in London.
Buffkin / Baker is a member of Panorama Search, an international federation of retained firms with 18 firms and over 30 offices globally. Buffkin / Baker formed in 2017 with the merger of the Buffkin Group and Baker and Associates LLC.
Craig Buffkin, the firm’s founder, serves as the managing partner, and as head of the private equity and transformation practices, where he is actively involved with client engagements and business development. He has completed search work at the board, executive and senior level both nationally and internationally for a wide range of private, public, venture-backed, and private equity-back companies.
Based in Winston Salem, NC, Mr. Baker has been in executive search for more than 22 years. In addition to his role as managing partner, he is also head of the firm’s higher education practice. He previously worked in the Atlanta office of Korn Ferry, where he developed search strategy and executed searches for numerous senior-level appointments. He began his career as a research associate with Saxton Bampfylde, an executive search and management assessment firm in London. He has conducted searches for the positions of CEO, CFO, CIO, provost, dean, director, and professor, having worked on over 350 searches throughout his career.
Ms. Whitelock, principal, is a key member of the firm’s higher education practice. She joined the firm from Vanderbilt University where she had a number of roles, including overseeing the Chancellor’s Faculty Fellows Program, managing the administrative staff of the Faculty Senate Office, and leading the recruitment of staff within academic affairs. Prior to Vanderbilt, Ms. Whitelock was faculty recruitment manager in the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
