As the Director of Cyber Defense at Southwest Airlines, I lead a diverse and highly skilled team responsible for safeguarding critical systems, data, and operations. My role spans key areas of cybersecurity, including Threat Response, Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC), Engineering Operations, and Cyber Aircraft Security.𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀:𝟭. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:- Oversee strategic and tactical initiatives across Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, Vulnerability Management, and Application Security.- Ensure the security of IT, IoT, and OT systems while maintaining operational excellence.𝟮. 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀:- Direct the care, maintenance, and optimization of cybersecurity tools and infrastructure critical to our defense posture.- Drive seamless integration and alignment across all teams to mitigate risks and address emerging threats.𝟯. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆:- Collaborate with government and industry partners to define and implement cybersecurity requirements for aircraft and stations.- Ensure compliance with regulatory standards while proactively addressing evolving aviation security challenges.𝟰. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:- Foster innovation, resilience, and accountability across a team of 150 professionals.- Strive to set the standard for cybersecurity operations in the aviation industry.