Leadership That Translates Security into Strategic Advantage

Amazon Web Services

Shifted global enterprises from cloud skepticism to secure innovation by making trust, not tech, the true product. Appointed as a strategic executive advisor to AWS’s most security-conscious enterprise clients, I helped Fortune 100 CISOs, CIOs, and boards align cybersecurity with business value. My role was to bridge vision and execution, making digital transformation both secure and strategic.

Principal CISO

• CISO-to-Board Trusted Advisor: Personally advised over 2,000 C-suite executives and board members on governance, cultural transformation, risk reduction, and strategic technology alignment—bridging the communication gap between technical operations and business value realization.

• Enterprise Strategy Architect: Designed and executed digital transformation and security strategies (aligned with industry standards such as NIST CSF / 800-53, and ISO 27001 / 42001) for 100+ AWS clients across SaaS, financial services, and retail—helping CISOs and CIOs align cloud investments to measurable business outcomes, regulatory posture, and executive confidence.

• Directed enterprise-wide incident response strategies ensuring rapid recovery, compliance, and minimal business disruption.

• Scaled Executive Preparedness: Led tabletop exercises for 3,000+ executive leaders, simulating high-stakes cybersecurity, compliance, and operational risk scenarios. Elevated team readiness, improved board oversight, and enabled faster, smarter enterprise decision-making under pressure.

• Thought Leader & Market Shaper: Delivered high-impact presentations and sessions at 95 major industry conferences, shaping public discourse on security, resilience, and innovation. These engagements fueled strategic partnerships and elevated AWS’s credibility in the enterprise space.

• Trust Engine Builder: Acted as a feedback conduit between customer CISOs and AWS product teams, ensuring the roadmap addressed enterprise concerns and compliance challenges. Helped shape the field engagement model now used by AWS teams to communicate with executive buyers.

• Community Catalyst: Founded and nurtured a vibrant, global community of forward-thinking CISOs, CTOs, CIOs, and board members, fostering trust, collaboration, and shared innovation across sectors. This peer ecosystem became a strategic amplifier for AWS’s brand and security philosophy.

  This role went beyond advisory—it shaped perception. I helped enterprise buyers see AWS not just as a technology provider, but as a secure, strategic partner they could trust. That meant turning compliance concerns into competitive advantages, transforming security fears into cultural momentum, and creating the repeatable narratives that enabled scale.

8/21 - 4/25

Lumber Liquidators

Chief Information Security Officer & Chief Technology Officer

3/19 - 8/21

Brought in during a pivotal moment to restore trust, modernize systems, and reposition technology as a growth enabler following a high-profile brand crisis. Reported directly to the CEO and Board of Directors, leading security, infrastructure, and enterprise technology strategy across over 400 retail locations, multiple distribution centers, and a growing digital commerce channel.

• Restored Trust Post-Crisis: Rebuilt the company’s technology and cybersecurity posture from the ground up after a reputational crisis—playing a direct role in helping executive leadership regain stakeholder trust, stabilize operations, and move forward with confidence.

• Repositioned Security as Strategy: Elevated cybersecurity from a back-office function to a board-level strategic pillar. Developed comprehensive cybersecurity strategies aligned with business objectives, performed risk assessments, and proactively implemented mitigation strategies. Established enterprise risk frameworks, cyber governance structures, and a compliance roadmap, ensuring adherence to PCI DSS, GDPR, NIST CSF, and ISO 27001, that passed external audits and withstood regulatory review. Led incident response activities that reduced the impact of cybersecurity incidents and strengthened enterprise resilience.

• Built the Trust Engine Internally and Externally: Engaged board members, regulators, and strategic partners to reinforce confidence in the company’s recovery and future readiness. The frameworks and transparency approach pioneered here laid the foundation for a repeatable model of organizational trust-building.

• Directed End-to-End Digital Transformation: Spearheaded the rollout of a new e-commerce platform, elevating the customer experience and increasing digital revenue contribution during a period of heightened operational pressure.

• Enabled Enterprise-Wide Business Alignment: Orchestrated a successful ERP implementation, resulting in dramatically improved cross-functional performance—from merchandising to finance to supply chain.

• Delivered Measurable Operational Gains: Drove a 25% reduction in operational errors and a 20% increase in customer retention, aligning technology investments with customer loyalty and frontline efficiency.

• Secured Major Cost Efficiencies: Executed strategic infrastructure modernization initiatives that yielded $1.6M in annual savings, enabling reinvestment into innovation and frontline initiatives.

• This role was a proving ground for building trust in high-pressure, high-visibility environments. It wasn’t just about securing systems. It was about securing the future of the brand. I became the executive who could translate fear into action, complexity into clarity, and technology into business value. That same mindset now informs how I help companies shape how they show up in front of CISOs, boards, and enterprise buyers. This allows me to build a repeatable, scalable trust engine that drives revenue, loyalty, and market credibility.

Chief Information Security Officer & Chief Technology Officer

Hired by the CEO and board to drive modernization across technology and security while preserving the 160+ year-old brand’s heritage and customer loyalty. Served as both protector and innovator, leading enterprise digital transformation, securing multi-channel operations, and building trust with international teams, partners, regulators, executive teams, and high-value customers in the Americas and Europe.

• Turned Technology Into a Growth Engine: Enabled 25% revenue growth by aligning technology investments with customer experience, merchandising strategy, and omnichannel operations, proving that security and innovation are not at odds but essential partners in scaling. Transformed digital security practices by embedding security into agile development workflows (Secure SDLC), resulting in improved customer experience and a significantly stronger security posture.

• Made Security a Competitive Advantage: Built a comprehensive, risk-based security and compliance program rooted in NIST and ISO 27001 frameworks. Shifted from checkbox compliance to a culture of accountability and digital trust. Positioned Orvis as a brand that protects what matters—data, transactions, and people.

• Led Enterprise Risk and Incident Preparedness: Developed an enterprise-wide risk management strategy tied to real business threats and outcomes. Designed and tested incident response plans, ensuring readiness across executive, legal, and operational teams. Drove board-level confidence through measurable risk posture improvements and clear communication of business impact.

• Built Board and Regulator Confidence: Strengthened relationships with regulators while reinforcing trust at the board level. Delivered frameworks and transparency models that made security an asset in financial, legal, and compliance conversations.

• Delivered Operational and Financial Results: Led infrastructure modernization initiatives that created over $3M in annual savings while expanding the company’s ability to innovate and scale efficiently.

• Enabled Enterprise-Wide Business Alignment: Orchestrated a successful ERP implementation, resulting in dramatically improved cross-functional performance—from merchandising to finance to supply chain.

• Modernized Fulfillment to Unlock Speed and Scale: Overhauled warehouse and order management systems, resulting in a 30% increase in fulfillment speed and improved customer satisfaction metrics across both digital and retail channels.

• Secured Major Cost Efficiencies: Executed strategic infrastructure modernization initiatives that yielded $1.6M in annual savings, enabling reinvestment into innovation and frontline initiatives.

• Balanced Heritage and Innovation: Successfully introduced modern security and technology capabilities without alienating long-standing leadership or disrupting the cultural DNA of the business—a key skill when guiding companies through high-stakes transformation.

4/15 - 4/19

Orvis

Chief Information Security Officer & Chief Technology Officer

Appointed to simultaneously lead cybersecurity and technology strategy across three highly regulated, high-stakes organizations in the gaming and hospitality sector. Trusted to unify regulatory compliance, technology modernization, and enterprise risk governance while maintaining executive and regulatory confidence in three U.S. states and across four countries.

• Oversaw Cross-Enterprise Strategy: Directed security and technology leadership for PokerStars, NYX Gaming, and Resorts Casino Hotel, aligning cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and technology modernization under one strategic umbrella—across jurisdictions, cultures, and risk profiles.

• Built the Trust Layer Across Borders: Ensured compliance with 15+ global regulations, while crafting frameworks that earned the confidence of gaming regulators, enterprise buyers, and legal teams in complex international environments.

• Institutionalized Accountability: Created and operationalized an enterprise-wide information governance model—clarifying ownership, classification, and protection responsibilities across diverse teams and geographies, enabling faster, safer decisions and stronger audit performance.

• Strengthened Regulator and Stakeholder Confidence: Developed deep working relationships with gaming enforcement bodies and key industry stakeholders across three U.S. states and four countries—transforming compliance from a hurdle into a strategic asset.

• Operationalized Trust with Efficiency: Increased cybersecurity maturity and reduced operational risk while delivering a 25% reduction in cybersecurity spend—showing that protection and efficiency can go hand in hand when trust is the metric that matters most.

• Delivered Measurable Assurance: Secured company data and led continuous improvement programs that drove a 15% increase in audit compliance scores, improving how risk was perceived internally and externally by boards, partners, and enforcement bodies.

POKERSTARS & RESORTS CASINO HOTEL

4/14 - 4/15

Sr. Manager of Cybersecurity Architecture & Engineering

Guided the business to feel secure while moving fast—by building cyber programs that earned trust at scale. As the senior leader of cybersecurity architecture and engineering at one of the world’s largest retailers, I helped transform how security enabled growth rather than restricted it. My mandate was simple: keep 500,000+ employees and millions of daily customer transactions secure—without slowing innovation.

• Designed and led a global cyber architecture strategy that safeguarded digital assets across cloud, retail, supply chain, and corporate platforms—all while aligning to NIST, ISO 27001, and evolving regulatory standards.

• Embedded secure-by-design practices into agile development environments, enabling product teams to move faster with confidence. Collaborated cross-functionally with product, engineering, legal, and executive teams to elevate security maturity without friction.

• Launched risk assessment frameworks that translated complex vulnerabilities into clear, prioritized actions, increasing executive decision-making speed and board confidence.

• Directed response playbooks and led incident simulations that improved time-to-contain across the enterprise and turned reactive postures into proactive readiness.

• Championed a security culture movement across teams by coaching security champions, designing gamified awareness initiatives, and embedding security into the language of business units.

• Recognized for turning security into a trusted business accelerator—not a bottleneck—with measurable outcomes in risk reduction, regulatory alignment, and stakeholder trust.

6/13 - 4/14

The Home Depot

Sr. Manager Infrastructure & Cybersecurity

Turned fragmented technology infrastructure into a secure, scalable foundation—so business growth no longer came at the cost of risk. CWC, a leader in commercial interiors and workspace design, needed more than just IT support—it needed a trusted transformation partner. I was brought in to modernize the infrastructure and bring cybersecurity from an afterthought to a business priority.

• Developed and led the company’s first holistic cybersecurity and infrastructure strategy, aligning it with executive priorities, compliance requirements, and future growth plans.

• Reduced enterprise risk posture by over 50% through proactive controls, security governance, and vulnerability management tied to ISO 27001 and NIST Cybersecurity Framework standards.

• Transformed a reactive IT function into a forward-leaning capability, integrating cybersecurity directly into infrastructure design, vendor selection, and software lifecycle processes.

• Implemented cloud-first and hybrid solutions that balanced productivity, performance, and protection—ensuring the team could move fast without sacrificing resilience.

• Led cross-department security awareness efforts, translating cyber threats into simple narratives and real-time coaching for non-technical staff, business leaders, and vendors.

• Built strong incident response and business continuity protocols that improved response time, reduced downtime risk, and created board-level confidence in operational resilience.

  This role proved that when security becomes part of the company’s DNA—not a compliance check—it multiplies impact across every corner of the business.

Carithers Wallace Courtenay

2007 - 2013

Director of Technology & Cybersecurity Services

Scaled secure technology services across thousands of locations—building trust with customers, partners, and executive leadership. At the helm of technology and cybersecurity for Geek Squad’s national operations, I was responsible for protecting one of the most trusted consumer tech brands in the U.S. My focus: deliver secure, scalable services that protected millions of customer interactions, retail operations, and field services—without adding friction.

• Directed the national cybersecurity roadmap for all customer-facing technology services, ensuring alignment to NIST, PCI DSS, and internal security governance across retail, support, and in-home service delivery.

• Integrated cybersecurity into the DNA of service design, allowing front-line agents, developers, and support teams to deliver safe, seamless tech experiences to customers nationwide.

• Launched enterprise-wide data protection programs, balancing privacy, regulatory requirements, and customer trust—while maintaining agility across digital and physical environments.

• Led cross-functional security alignment efforts with product, retail, logistics, and field teams—embedding security expectations into operations, training, and vendor ecosystems.

• Directed incident management playbooks and real-world simulations, improving readiness and response while reducing dwell time across multiple attack surfaces.

• Championed a security-first service culture that helped differentiate Geek Squad in the market as a trustworthy, tech-forward, and customer-centric brand.

  This role taught me that cybersecurity doesn’t just protect—it builds brand equity. When done right, it becomes a competitive advantage that customers feel and leadership can count on.

2004 - 2007

Best Buy

Humanitarian Service (Sweden)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

2002 - 2004

Served a community-first mission that strengthened lives, built trust across cultures, and instilled servant leadership that still guides how I lead today.

In this immersive full-time role, I served in cities across Sweden as part of a global humanitarian initiative focused on uplifting individuals, fostering self-reliance, and strengthening communities through service, teaching, and outreach.

• Led multicultural community initiatives that supported local needs—from refugee integration and language support to coordinating service projects that impacted hundreds of lives.

• Coached and mentored local and international volunteers, cultivating leadership, resilience, and cross-cultural collaboration within a high-trust, high-accountability environment.

• Built bridges across language and cultural barriers, learning how to influence without authority, earn trust through service, and communicate with empathy and clarity.

• Delivered presentations and teachings in Swedish and English, often to diverse and intergenerational audiences—strengthening my ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and cultural sensitivity.

• Modeled integrity-driven leadership, consistently putting mission above ego, collaboration above control, and long-term impact above short-term convenience.

  This experience was foundational. It shaped how I lead under pressure, how I earn trust quickly, and how I align purpose with performance in every professional setting I step into.