Rose State College

Director of Cybersecurity / Professor of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Professor / Cybersecurity Program Coordinator

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Adjunct Professor - John Massey School of Business - MBA Program

The Tiaki Group, LLC

Principal | Cybersecurity Strategist | Transformation | Risk Management | Budget Management

Shyft Partners, LLC

CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT: CARES ACT INITIATIVES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security)

➤  Provided leadership, oversight, and project management support for 60+ CARES Act Projects, impacting multiple organizations. Oversaw critical technology initiatives prioritizing healthcare and public safety. Worked closely with cross-organizational leadership to prioritize projects with total budget of $600M. Reported to Client COO.
➤  Oversaw digital transformation and modernization to provide efficient, service-oriented, secure systems and solutions for allocation of program funding.
➤  Managed expansion of IT technology systems to enable and ensure secure state systems and data;  established disaster recovery and business continuity (DR/BC) capabilities.
➤  Facilitated review of technical implementation plans with multiple organizations and helped non-technical staff understand them.

CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT: ENTERPRISE TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE
➤  Provided management consulting leadership and oversight of strategic planning to drive transformation, unifying Client Organization with aligned enterprise vision and priorities. Collaborated with executive leadership. Indirectly managed 40+ resources from C-suite to staff ICs. Reported to Client COO.
➤  Established and led program governance and change management frameworks, processes, and procedures for project intake, increasing efficiencies, reducing redundancies, and optimizing costs.
Increased financial transparency and optimized financial performance by defining and measuring metrics to track and manage spend.
➤  Introduced participatory budgeting process to provide inclusive and transparent prioritization of funding; managed 1st participatory budgeting event from project submission through execution and reporting.
➤  Drove rescue of ERP implementation project: incorporated overlooked workflow designs and existing systems integrations to ensure successful implementation with efficient and effective results.

Principal Consultant/Co-Founder | Technology & Cybersecurity Advisor | High Risk Initiatives

Nearshore Cyber

Provided CISO advisory and consulting services with cybersecurity strategy and solutions to SMB clients.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤ Drove cybersecurity program transformation for mid-sized client, improving security and stability. 
+ Performed cybersecurity assessment based on CIS Controls Version 8.2; interviewed CEO, CFO, CIO, IT team, and vendors; reviewed detailed vulnerability scan reports.   
+ Developed near-term recommendations to improve client’s security posture quickly.
+ Crafted 12-month Cybersecurity Transformation Roadmap.
➤ Directed establishment of 2024 cybersecurity program for SMB client. 
+ Facilitated selection of cybersecurity vendor partner to perform penetration tests and secure code reviews, including scoping of 1st pen tests for January 2024 release and code reviews.
+ Drove implementation of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) management platform.
+ Created key cybersecurity policies for client management to review.
➤ Coached client leadership and IT staff regarding how to identify business-critical systems, IT and business risks, apply OWASP, plan and manage budgets, reduce cost, and optimize IT tool cost/usage.
➤ Fostered inclusion across organizations in security program decision-making, and coached and mentored staff to ensure understanding of concepts and implications.

Fractional CISO | Cybersecurity Strategist | Cybersecurity Transformation | Risk Management

QAT Global | Custom Software Development

Hired to bring experience resolving and managing complex, high-profile crises with critical deadlines and providing expertise in technology and cybersecurity. Directed technology portion of high-risk vendor contract re-acquisition initiative while ensuring continuity of DHHS case management services and regulatory compliance. Worked closely with IT, Legal, and Data. Supported agency of 4K+ workers (in- and out-of-state). Reported directly to PMO Leader and indirectly reported to DHHS CIO.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤  Managed urgent, short-timeline transition of ownership of case management while maintaining critical continuity of end-to-end services, including hotlines, transportation, documentation, software, data, laptops, equipment, security, and staff and employee access.
➤  Provided transparent, open communications DHHS leadership, including daily CIO updates.
+ Led team of 40 (vendor, state, and agency staff) to execute compliant, seamless transition.
+ Oversaw purchase and distribution of new and re-allocated (wiped/reissued) laptops and peripherals to new state employees (per contract re-acquisition); ensured asset management compliance.
+ Provided calm leadership and facilitated adaptable team performance by establishing stable structure, processes, and transparent communications.
➤  Led initiative to implement technical remediation for security-related audit findings.
+ Directed statewide upgrade plans to replace 3,600 laptops statewide; led project team of 75.  
+ Drove migration of systems to virtual environment to improve access control and increase security for sensitive state and federal agency data; managed access requirements for virtual environment.
➤ Provided cybersecurity advisory during contract/SOW reviews and key initiatives planning sessions.
➤ Delivered on-the-job training and coaching on Agile methods to portfolio-level leaders while defining and modeling appropriate project and portfolio practices; provided ongoing coaching and support to PMs.

Strategic and Technical Consultant | Audit Remediation | High-Risk/High-Profile Programs

Oklahoma State Department of Health

Architected and led inaugural PMO, establishing structure, accountability, and governance for projects/programs to support 2,000-person organization, distributed across 60+ sites. Built, coached, and managed team of 7. Worked cross-organizationally with business unit senior/executive leadership to prioritize and execute high-visibility, high-risk programs and transformation initiatives. Reported to Deputy COO and Chief Transformation Officer.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤ Drove improvements in quality and effectiveness of initiatives for agency; enabled open, transparent communications of active projects/programs.
➤ Defined and built PMO framework and management processes, including prioritization, governance, staffing, and financial tracking; expanded to include enterprise transformation initiatives management (TMO).
➤ Elevated transparency by creating dashboard w/reporting to track status and funding.
➤ Ensured strategic alignment of projects/initiatives by establishing intake and approval processes.
➤ Owned TMO workstreams: provided execution oversight and support; drove open, transparent communications; presented updates to Steering Committees with Cabinet-level, C-suite, and senior business leaders; facilitated communications between business and consultants to ensure alignment. Critical (High-Risk, High-Visibility, High-Impact) Transformation Initiatives Included:
+ Established and formalized Enterprise Change Management (ECM) strategy and processes.
+ Built structured process to update and align agency mission, vision, values, and strategy.
+ Employee Experience Improvement Initiative (focused on engagement and retention)
+ Redesigned Financial Processes to Improve Management and Compliance
➤ Quickly established trusted communications with stakeholders, staff, and external consultants.
➤ Fostered inclusion across organization in decision-making, facilitated transparency of information, and coached and mentored staff to ensure understanding of concepts and implications.

Director, PMO | Transformation

Inspire Brands

INSPIRE BRANDS (Acquired Sonic in 2018), Oklahoma City, OK and Atlanta, GA	2019 – 2020
American fast-food restaurant franchise company owned by Roark Capital Group, with 31,700 locations & $30B sales.
Director, Enterprise Program Management Office  | 	
Directed post-acquisition integration of Sonic PMO into Inspire Strategic Enterprise PMO, including staff assignments, reporting systems, and program management best practices. Provided Agile thought leadership and advisory to executives, senior leaders, and teams to build foundation for successful transformation, applying expertise in multiple methodologies. Matrix managed 6 teams of up to 15 each. Reported directly to SVP of Finance. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤ Spearheaded technology and systems integration starting post-acquisition/day 1, maintaining confidentiality.
➤ Selected to triage high-risk, critical ERP system and secured $4M for system stabilization and recovery initiative; managed initiative, partnering with FPA, Accounting, Treasury, Reporting, Internal Audit, and IT teams. Collaborated closely with C-suite stakeholders, senior executives, and vendors.
➤ Managed and coached key players and staff showing signs of high stress and workplace anxiety; provided stability through structure, processes, and calm leadership and fostered team performance improvement.
➤  Drove implementation of security module to add role-based access; worked with vendors and internal teams. 
➤ Led executive-level steering committee meetings; created and delivered presentations.

Director, Enterprise PMO | Post M&A Integration | Calm Leadership Under Pressure | Executive Advisor

SONIC Drive-In

Directed IT PMO and managed enterprise IT and security programs supporting HQ, Corporate, and Restaurant BU and impacting users at 3600 Sonic locations including 400 franchisees. Directly managed team of 6 (PMs, BAs). Matrix managed project/program distributed teams of up to 30FTEs plus contractors, including Security Operations, GRC, Security Architecture, Security Engineering, IAM, Networking, Helpdesk, and Datacenter Teams. Collaborated with legal, finance, accounting, and internal audit teams. Reported to VP Cybersecurity and Enterprise Systems and VP (Corporate) PMO. Managed budgets of up to $20M+, including G&A, Capital, and Restaurant Cybersecurity expenses.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤ Collaborated with cybersecurity leadership team to develop annual strategy and plans based on NIST CSF.
➤ Directed incident response lifecycle efforts for incident response team of 24 during high-impact incident.
➤ Attained PCI Compliance, Service Provider status by directing project team under high-pressure deadline.
➤ Directed vendor management: selection, contract negotiation and review (including SOC2), onboarding, and performance management (with QBRs).
➤ Led Active Directory upgrades, achieving zero issues of backward compatibility by identifying and prioritizing dependencies across separate (siloed) business units while driving open, transparent communications.
➤ Led Change Advisory Board (CAB) and managed Change and Release Management Team to deploy software to 3600 stores on 2 POS systems.
➤ Coached and managed professional development for IT PMO staff, improving skills development and employee engagement.
➤ Established and documented standard cybersecurity operating procedures to ensure security and compliance.

Director, Cybersecurity & Enterprise Systems Programs 

Hired as 1st IT PMO/Program Manager as part of newly formed Enterprise Systems and Cybersecurity Team. Oversaw and managed enterprise IT and security programs supporting HQ, Corporate, and Restaurant BU and impacting users at 3600 Sonic locations including 400 franchisees. Built and managed team of 6 (PMs, BAs). Matrix-managed distributed teams of up to 30+, including GRC, Security Architecture, Security Engineering, IAM, WAN, Helpdesk, and Datacenter Teams. Reported to VP Cybersecurity and Enterprise Systems and VP EPMO. Managed budgets of up to $10M. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS: CYBERSECURITY & ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS 
➤ Closed highest priority company risk on risk register by initiating and implementing technology deferred maintenance recovery program; designed and operationalized monthly maintenance program to ensure ongoing PCI and corporate compliance.
➤ Built and facilitated framework and standardized processes for project intake approval, resource allocation, and budgeting for Cybersecurity and Enterprise Systems Department. 
➤ Enabled near-real-time financial data-driven decision-making by introducing project/program-level budget and expense tracking and management.
➤ Directed remediation of internal and third-party security assessments findings.
➤ Designed and administered franchisee security assessment; trained franchisees on cybersecurity.
➤ Managed professional development for IT PMO staff, improving skills and employee engagement.
➤ Directed vendor selection, contract negotiation/review (including SOC2), onboarding, and performance management.
➤ Fostered collaborative, cross-organizational inclusion in decision-making, facilitated transparency of information, and mentored staff to ensure understanding of risks, risk identification, and risk management.
➤ Introduced Lean Portfolio Management including Participatory Budgeting to senior leadership and directed implementation creating alignment, prioritization, and cadence for capital project approvals through delivery.

Program Manager Cybersecurity & Enterprise Systems

Managed POS System Program (including integrations with supply chain and back office) from POC through operations testing, pilot execution, and deployment to select company-owned stores. Collaborated with corporate, IT, and store operations teams. Led team of 6. Reported to VP of IT. 

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤ Established project communications with corporate, IT, and store operations to facilitate collaboration and enable inclusion in decision making, ultimately ensuring successful POS deployment. 
➤ Presented audience-targeted financial and operations data to accounting, supply chain, and restaurant operations throughout POS System Program delivery and execution.

Program/Project Manager, Back Office Systems  (TEK SYSTEMS Consultant) 

University of Oklahoma College of Liberal Studies

Taught Quality Initiatives course (remote) introducing students to analytics and continuous process improvement. Worked with diverse adult students (30 per semester), all remote. Posted weekly course updates and announcements. Collaborated with faculty, academic staff, and campus leadership.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
➤ Completed quality check/review of assigned course and updated within guidelines.
➤ Conducted course as designed through the learning management system.
➤ Engaged fully with students, driving active course participation, responding to student questions, and supporting their success; interacted with students via the discussion board and comments.
➤ Provided personalized and substantive feedback on all student submissions and assignments.
➤ Maintained and submitted accurate and timely student grades.
➤ Developed introductory Project Management course.

Adjunct Professor | SA Qualified (2023) | Information Systems | Management | Cybersecurity

Passionate, adaptive leader driving strategic cybersecurity program transformation, aligning cybersecurity efforts with overall business goals. Masterful at managing complex, high-profile risks with critical deadlines by leveraging technology, cybersecurity, and transformation experience. Build scalable, adaptable security teams, optimizing performance while ensuring teams are prepared, resilient, and well-supported. Reduce waste and minimize costs by skillfully identifying complex patterns in cybersecurity challenges and creating efficient processes and tools. Foster company culture of risk prevention and protection by forming relationships and collaborating cross-organizationally. Partner with CISO, Board, and investors.

---CAREER HIGHLIGHTS---
➤ Managed and resolved complex, high-profile, high-impact organizational risks with critical deadlines applying calm leadership and applying expertise in technology and cybersecurity.
➤ Directed incident response lifecycle efforts (identification through recovery) for incident response team of 24 during security breach.
➤ Established and managed cybersecurity programs in SMBs and large, publicly traded company.
➤ Spearheaded multiple successful high-visibility large-scale enterprise transformation initiatives and programs, providing stability with structure, frameworks, processes, governance with coaching and mentoring support.
➤ Fostered inclusion across organizations in security program decision-making, facilitated transparency of information, and coached and mentored staff to ensure understanding of concepts and implications.
➤ Managed and coached key players and staff showing signs of high stress and workplace anxiety; provided stability through structure, processes, and calm leadership and fostered team performance improvement.
➤ Repeatedly entrusted with confidential, highly sensitive information.
➤ DBA Dissertation: All Quiet on the Digital Front: The Unseen Psychological Impacts on Cybersecurity First Responders

---SIGNATURE STRENGTHS and SKILLS---
Cybersecurity Strategy 
Cybersecurity Program Development
Manage High-Profile, High-Impact Risks 
Drive Transformation 
Scalable Frameworks & Systems
Prioritization & Budgeting
Stakeholder Management
Calm Leadership Under Pressure
People-first Leader
Build & Develop Resilient Teams
Environmental Awareness 
Connect-the-Dots Others Don’t

Dr. Tammie Hollis

Private Equity Portfolio Companies

Engaged to modernize commercial strategy, embed AI into revenue operations, and elevate enterprise value across SaaS, cybersecurity, cloud, and fintech ecosystems.
	•	Leads the redesign of go-to-market architecture to enhance win rates, expansion, and revenue precision.
	•	Repositions companies within evolving markets to unlock new dimensions of commercial scale.
	•	Architects AI-enabled forecasting and data-driven performance systems that institutionalise growth.
	•	Strengthens enterprise valuation through disciplined pricing strategy and governance alignment.

→ Focus: uniting commercial velocity with investor-grade accountability.

CRO / Chief Commercial Officer

Various Companies

Private Equity & Portfolio Advisory → Partner to investment sponsors and CEOs on AI commercialization, GTM modernization, and operational efficiency across SaaS, cybersecurity, and fintech portfolios.

Governance & Risk Oversight → Guide boards in embedding cyber resilience, data governance, and responsible-AI frameworks into strategy while helping audit and risk committees translate technical risk into business language.

Transformation & Value Creation → Advise on digital transformation, M&A integration, and KPI/OKR governance, aligning people, process, and capital to measurable outcomes.

Selected Highlights →
• Strengthened governance posture for PE and Fortune 100 clients via zero-trust and AI ethics frameworks.
• Contributor to board-level discussions on modernization, digital trust, and emerging-tech regulation.

Board & Advisory Leadership (Portfolio & Governance)

Cybersecurity & Incident Response Firm

Appointed as the first commercial executive to establish market identity, drive demand, and build a scalable growth engine for a cybersecurity firm specialising in incident response and digital forensics.
	•	Designed and launched the company’s first unified go-to-market motion, aligning sales, product, and incident-response teams to strengthen client readiness and trust.
	•	Built an enterprise pipeline validating demand in regulated and high-risk industries requiring rapid containment and compliance confidence.
	•	Forged strategic partnerships with insurers, legal counsel, and MSSPs to accelerate response velocity and position Cadien as a trusted breach-response partner.
	•	Repositioned offerings around measurable business-resilience outcomes, elevating value perception and retention.

→ Focus: evolving from reactive response to trusted partnerships as the go to in DFIR.

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)/SVP

Dell Technologies

Recruited to build and scale a cybersecurity-focused business elevating Dell’s presence in regulated and high-security markets.
	•	Built a new channel that expanded Dell’s professional-services reach into law, and insurance sectors. 
	•	Unified sales, product, and partner engagement into a cohesive cyber go-to-market motion, strengthening credibility and deal influence.
	•	Translated risk, resilience, and compliance outcomes into C-suite business cases that accelerated decision cycles.
	•	Earned two Dell Inspire Awards.
 
* Recruited to Chief Revenue Officer for external firm. 

→ Focus: repositioning Dell from hardware perception to cybersecurity growth engine.

Principal

Capgemini

Led revenue strategy and go-to-market execution for security and cloud modernization programs across strategic enterprise accounts.
	•	Developed and executed account strategies that strengthened competitive positioning, win rates, and pipeline velocity.
	•	Partnered with delivery and product leadership to design and position end-to-end cybersecurity solutions aligned to client business outcomes.
	•	Delivered executive-level forecasting and performance reporting to enhance predictability and stakeholder confidence.
	•	Alignment with sales teams on strategic account planning and complex deal execution, expanding client relationships and accelerating growth with cybersecurity offer.

→ Strategic Outcome: commercialized secure digital transformation, turning technology modernization into profitable, repeatable revenue across key enterprise accounts.

Director

Symantec (Acquisition of Symantec by Broadcom)

Symantec (now part of Broadcom) is a global cybersecurity and SaaS leader serving enterprise and telecom markets. Helped lead cybersecurity go-to-market (GTM) modernization across service-provider and telecom ecosystems.

Director, North America Service Provider Channel

Kroll

Secured enterprise engagements across regulated industries, strengthening Kroll’s role as a trusted advisor in Incident Response and risk mitigation.
	•	Expanded revenue within Fortune 500 and global law firm ecosystems.
	•	Strengthened cross-functional collaboration between delivery, post breach teams to enhance client experiences and response capability.
	•	Improved forecast accuracy and executive reporting through go-to-market enablement with enterprise clients on professional services. 

→ Focus: shifting from transactional engagements to strategic, trust-based customer partnerships.

Director of Business Development in Cybersecurity & Breach Notification

Apple

Recruited to launch and scale iPhone for Business, transforming enterprise mobility from consumer-first to enterprise-ready. Operated within Apple’s high-performance culture under Steve Jobs, translating technology into strategic business outcomes across regulated and security-sensitive sectors.
	•	Scaled enterprise mobility into a multi-billion-dollar platform, displacing incumbents and driving wide-scale commercial adoption.
	•	Forged strategic partnerships with AT&T, Cisco, MobileIron, and Jamf, enabling secure, compliant integration and early digital-wallet use cases.
	•	Recognized among Apple’s Top 1 % global performers for enterprise-market growth and customer-transformation leadership.

→ Foundation: the role that shaped my approach to enterprise transformation, trust-driven growth, and market design.

Director of Sales & Channel

I lead commercial transformations that accelerate revenue, strengthen market position, and elevate enterprise value across SaaS, cloud, cybersecurity, and fintech ecosystems.

My career spans high-trust environments, from serving in the U.S. Navy supporting national-level missions to driving enterprise adoption and business mobility during Apple’s expansion into the commercial market. There, I helped position iPhone as a secure, mission-critical platform in one of the most competitive moments in the industry. That foundation continues to shape how I build market belief and adoption in evolving technology landscapes.

I partner with private-equity sponsors and Fortune 100 executives to modernize go-to-market (GTM) systems, lead AI strategy and digital transformation, and convert innovation into measurable growth. My work integrates cyber resilience, risk management, and governance alignment to enhance predictability, scalability, and enterprise value.

Core Strengths
• Revenue expansion and commercial system design
• AI-enabled transformation and data-driven decisioning
• Market repositioning and category creation
• Cybersecurity leadership and governance alignment to drive enterprise value

I rebuild organizations that grow through volatility, uniting strategy, technology, and execution into a single, intelligent system of performance and trust.

Mel Sanford

Spotify Wrapped guessed my age this year-36. It wasn’t correct, but it wasn’t random either. It inferred an age from the patterns I didn’t even realize I was giving, late-2000s energy, modern pop, electronic rhythm, emotional pattern
listening cadence

AI isn’t becoming smarter because of the data we provide. It’s becoming smarter because of what it notices. The skipped songs, ones we repeat and our mood. The subtle, human signatures inside every habit. Wrapped is fun, but beneath the nostalgia is a preview of what’s coming:

AI that understands nuance, interprets behavior and builds identity from patterns we don’t realize we’re revealing.  

Wrapped gave me a playlist.
It also gave me a reminder:

The future belongs to the organizations that can harness behavioral insight responsibly, without losing the humanity behind the data. Spotify does this annual wrap up but I didn’t give it a second thought until now. Curious to see what other listeners received..

#AI #Cybersecurity #DataEthics #Leadership #HumanBehavior #SpotifyWrapped

Private Equity Value Creation, AI Strategy & Cyber Resilience | Enterprise SaaS • FinTech • Biotech • CPG | $2.75B+ EV • $800M ARR | Ex-Apple | U.S. Navy Veteran

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This article makes one thing clear: Agentic AI isn’t hype. According to the report, the market is exploding from $7.55 billion in 2025 to nearly $199 billion by 2034, a 26x leap that only happens when something transformative is underway.

And that transformation isn’t happening in one corner of the economy, it’s happening everywhere. From healthcare (diagnostics, workflow automation, AI research assistants) to finance (fraud detection, investment decisioning),from manufacturing (autonomous planning, supply chain optimization) to defense, software, education, retail, and smart cities, 
Agentic AI is becoming the operating core across industries.

We’re at an inflection point where autonomous intelligence becomes the operating core of modern business.

Open article: Agentic AI Market Size to Hit USD 199.05 Billion by 2034 by precedenceresearch.com

Agentic AI Market Size to Hit USD 199.05 Billion by 2034

This is why I believe in agentic AI.
We spend too much of our lives on tasks that drain us. An agent removes endless amounts of time and restores simplicity.

When AI understands your world, your patterns, your limits, your family, even the pets and acts with purpose?
That’s not technology. That’s freedom!

The brands that lean into this will set a new standard. Less friction. More anticipation. Experiences that just… work. And of course, cyber resilience has to be part of the strategy.


Doc attached; McKinsey captures this evolution,  beautifully.

Shopping is entering its agentic era. 

AI agents will soon navigate choices, compare prices, and complete purchases for us, all while reshaping business models and redefining trust. 

What does responsible AI look like for early adopters? Explore five areas that brands can focus on to build consumer confidence: https://mck.co/3JJxvXv.

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Mel Sanford

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