My Challenge Coin Rack and wall of awards and certificates in my home office

 

VOLUNTEER WORK

  • Jan 2023 – Present – Summit 7 Customer Advisory Board – Participate in periodic sessions to provide feedback and advice to S7 leaders to support their consistent improvement of products, services and related offerings.

 

  • Mar 2021 – Present – CISSP/ISSAP Exam Question Development Volunteer (https://www.isc2.org) – Helping to inspire a safe and secure cyber world by contributing my Certified Information Systems Security Architecture Professional expertise to the development of test questions for professionals following in my footsteps seeking the CISSP/ISSAP credential.

 

  • June 2020 – Sep 2021- Splunk Customer Advisory Board (CAB) Member – Participate in periodic sessions to provide feedback and advice to Splunk Strategic, Sales, Product Development and other leaders to support their consistent improvement of products, services and related offerings.

 

  • Oct-Dec 2018 – Team America Rocketry Challenge Team Mentor (https://rocketcontest.org/) –  The Team America Rocketry Challenge is the world’s largest student rocket contest and a key piece of the aerospace and defense industry’s strategy to build a stronger U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

 

  • Sept 2016 – April 2017 – PC Pals Mentor (Intel Corp) – Interfaced via email weekly then onsite visits quarterly with local Middle School Students to provide mentorship on career goals related to the IT field.

 

  • Sept 2010 – June 2011  – Cyber Patriot Mentor (http://www.uscyberpatriot.org) – Supported Vista Del Lago High School Team with weekly onsite mentorship around Information Security/Forensics best practices in the Nationwide Cyber Patriot annual challenge.

 

 

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  • 2010 Computer Sciences Corporation, Outstanding Employee – Leadership   

          

 

 

  • 2008 ISC2 Government Information Security Leadership Award (GISLA) Finalist – Nominated by government for support at DISA in South Korea supporting Pacific Command. Placed as first runner up across all US Federal government contractors     

         

 

  • DISA Pacific Contractor of the Quarter (2nd QTR 2008)

     

 

 

INDUSTRY MEMBERSHIPS

 

          

          

 

THANK YOUs FROM MY TEAMS

Often, when leaving an organization, how people see you off and wish you well on the next step along your career path can be the most telling clue to your impact. Below are some of those points of recognition I’ve received along the way while performing a role, or when completing it. I’m grateful for every one, I remember each team I supported, worked together with or led, and as you can see at the top of the page I display all proudly in my home office to remind me of how much fun I’ve had along the way, the lives I’ve influenced and the missions I’ve supported.

 

 

Thanks from the National Security Agency demonstrating my value to the successful deployment of a very important IT project as the Operational Test and Evaluation Director. 

 

When I left my role with NCI in Dec 2002 as an IT Engineer the military command honored me with this framed Certification of Appreciation (the business cards I’ve collected over the years are add-ons of course). The building in the picture is called “The White House” and is where the combined US/South Korean military commanders’ offices were located at that time on Yongsan Army Garrison in downtown Seoul, South Korea.

 

In March 2005 when my role with Northrop Grumman was complete as the Senior IT and Information Security Consultant to the J6 (the military’s equivalent of a CIO or VP of IT) I was given this beautiful boxed set of flags, crossed swords and clock with a plaque that reads, “Your dedication and true desire to excel has inspired many throughout JCISA. Your work here has truly made an impact throughout US Forces Korea (USFK). We wish you much success in your future endeavors”

 

                              

 

 

 

My role as DISA’s Sr IT and Information Security Consultant to leadership in the Pacific Theater was wide ranging as evidenced by the above series of Certificates and plaques and at least five of the challenge coins in the picture at the top of the page.  

 

 

A picture with Lieutenant General Croom, the Commander of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), after briefing him on the state of Information Assurance in the western Pacific Theater.

 

The DISA Korea Field Office Command and Staff. I’m the guy not in uniform, in the back row.

 

                                                                               

Being the Director for the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Global Security Operations Center (SOC) and leading that elite unit of incredible cyber warriors was definitely a highlight of my career. They honored me with a beautiful cigar humidor that sits on my desk. Here is a picture of me (in sunglasses) enjoying one of those cigars with my management team on my last day running the DoD SOC. Luckily, two of those outstanding managers later moved their families across country to work with me again in my next role so the story didn’t end there in the corn fields of Southern Illinois.

 

                                                                     

                       

My years at Health Net as the CISO working alongside my team during crisis situations, and yes even out playing a round of golf (Me in Panama hat and yellow shirt standing behind my boss, the VP IT, along with a portion of my team), helped to meld us into a family, one that I will never forget, and they made sure of that by providing me with this plaque which occupies a prominent place in my home office so that I can see it every day. That certificate on the right was awarded by the government a month after I helped Health Net re-obtain their Authority to Operate.

 

The tradition of getting out and spending time with my team members, partner vendors and customers never stops. Even when I was with McAfee and had a nationally dispersed team it was difficult to get everyone together though at one time in one spot. I was on the road on average around 1 1/2 – 2 weeks a month travelling often around the country to visit with customer C-suite and VP level personnel to ensure they were happy, and to close new business. I also tried to get to each location where my remote employees lived at least once a year and I spent quite a bit of time at our major hubs in Washington DC and Dallas where a good portion of my customer base teams worked.

 

Building personal relationships with peers, supervisors, subordinates, customers, partners and vendors is a key component of my character. Nobody can do this work alone, so while contracts and other formal mechanisms will never go away, where the real work gets done, and where the true ability to influence change happens is through personal relationships.

   Attending a 49ers game with Palo Alto Networks and my Chief Security Architect and right hand man at Aerojet Rocketdyne, Mark McBride

     Direct reports and partner vendors at dinner in Dallas, TX                   

         Indoor skydiving in Northern Virginia with my team that supported the Veterans Administration            

  Enjoying an evening in Washington DC with two of my partner vendors and one of my direct report Project Managers

 A great dinner with my teams that support the Department of Homeland Security, State Department and Department of Justice.