My 363rd day as CISO
Whew! I survived my first year as a Federal Agency CISO.
Most people write these blogs during their exact work anniversary day. In the spirit of Christmas, I am writing mine three days in advance to express my gratitude to the people that got me here.
My one-year anniversary of coming to FEC arrives in a few days. I will be lying if I say that it was all a breeze because every organization has its challenges. For example, two weeks after I started, the only other information security person in the organization left. Without any turnover from any predecessor, I functioned as the ISSO, ISSM, ISSE, IG Liaison, Intraagency/interagency liaison, Incident Responder, COR, Systems Administrator, Security Tool's integrator, Researcher, and CISO.
It was not easy, but the good outweighed the bad by A LOT. It was mostly because of the people, overwhelming support, and my supportive leadership. It has been a fantastic year for me, and I have learned so much! Every day, I continue to be impressed by the consistent level of excellence, commitment, and talent displayed by the entire OCIO staff, whom I call "my OCIO family."
I want to take this opportunity to give thanks to the people that made all of this possible.
First, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Leanna Ribeiro. Thank you for your patience, understanding, support and above all, your unconditional love. With everything I have going on, pursuing a doctoral degree, certifications, events and demanding work, I do not know how I could ever do it without you. You endured it all without complaints but with great understanding. You, Ava, and Teddy are my light and motivation. My primary goal in life is always to make you proud.
Next, I want to thank my previous leaders who have shaped me into who I am today. Either by direct contact or by observation, these leaders guided me, mentored me and showed me how to lead. They taught me how to get the job done! Thank you for allowing me to continue to reach out to you for help, guidance, and mentorship: Randy Rzeszot, Lawrence Monaco, Deborah Pierre-Louis, Calvin Brown, Kelvin Moore, Donna Moerschell, Octavia Coleman, Keith Nakasone, Craig Herrick and many more.
Special thanks to my academic mentor, Dr. Tim Schmeall for his patience, support and time. Thank you for consistently and patiently guiding my doctoral dissertation to the end. Thank you, Tim! I pray that I finish.
I want to recognize a great leader at work, Wei Luo for his support, mentorship, friendship, and for his continual encouragement and believing in me from the very first day. From the day that he interviewed me, I knew there was chemistry. Thank you, Wei!
My sincere thanks to the OCIO team for their continual assistance and friendship. Their invaluable help with everything security ultimately improved our security posture. I do not know how we could have done anything without any of you. One hundred percent of the credit for accomplishing everything this year go to each of you. I am still here because of all your help. Thank you, Justin Park, Rebecca Willis, Deborah Tibbs, Gashaw, Pat, Tiffany, Jim, Paul, Amy, Aaron, Scott, Rodney, Chris B., Rebecca H., Mike J., and more.
To our partners outside of FEC that are making an impact in the federal space, thank you! To Lindsay and the rest of the 18F superstars and change agents who have been with us from the beginning – thank you! To the subject matter experts and leadership at DHS, Cyber.gov, FIRE, NCATS, HIRT, FNR, CDM, S&T, Nicolas Chaillan, Chase Garwood, John Lee, John Simms and many more - please know that I am very grateful for all your help. I am honored to work alongside with you.
Additionally, I wanted to express my gratitude to my CIO and my boss, Alec Palmer for taking a chance and trusting me to lead the agency's information security program. I am thankful for your leadership, mentorship, and trust. Your expertise and patience are exceptional, and from you, I have learned not only knowledge but discipline, diplomacy, and professionalism. Thank you, sir!
Last but not least, I want to thank God for guiding me with all my decisions and for his continued blessings. Thank you, God, for bringing all these awesome people into my life.
The views expressed here are my personal views and do not reflect the FEC or the U.S. Government.