Debra A.

Odessa, TX · Security Leadership | Vulnerability Management | Operational Risk · Made in Texas Manufacturing

Excelsior University

9 followers

About

Cybersecurity and operational risk leader with over 18 years of experience in enterprise IT and security, specializing in vulnerability management and security program maturity. Proven track record in leading global security operations for environments exceeding 15,000 assets and reducing enterprise risk through automated, risk-based remediation strategies.

Specialties

  • Cybersecurity Consulting
  • Security Governance
  • Security Operations Leadership
  • Security Program Management
  • Security Strategy

Skills

  • Vulnerability Management
  • Risk-Based Remediation
  • NIST 800-53
  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • HIPAA
  • SOX Compliance
  • Rapid7 InsightVM/Nexpose
  • Tenable.io
  • ServiceNow Vulnerability Response
  • SentinelOne EDR

19 skills in total

Licenses & Certifications

  • ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor

    ISO/IEC

    Issued May 2026

  • ISO/IEC 42001:2023 Lead Auditor

    Mastermind

    Issued Jan 2026 · Expires Jan 2029

  • Managing AI Governance in Organizations With ISO 42001

    Alison

    Issued Nov 2025

4 certifications in total

Experience

  • Cyber Security Manager

    Made in Texas Manufacturing

    Jan 2024 — Present

    Odessa, TX

  • Senior IT Security Specialist (Vulnerability Management)

    Celanese

    Mar 2020 — Mar 2022

    Irving TX, United States

  • Senior IT Security Analyst Lead

    Fortitude for Hunt Companies

    Jan 2018 — Jan 2020

    Dallas, TX

6 experiences in total

Education

  • Excelsior University

    Master of Business Administration (MBA) (Online), Business in Global Economy

    Jan 2009 — Jan 2013

  • Excelsior University

    Bachelor's degree, Management Information Systems

    Jan 2002 — Jan 2004

Recent posts

One thing I appreciate about The Practical Security Show is that the conversations stay grounded in operational reality instead of drifting into hype or vendor narratives.

Episode 8 especially stands out because it tackles a question a lot of security leaders are dealing with right now: what does “good enough security” actually mean in a business operating under constant threat pressure? https://youtu.be/w2hebl6vbtA

Steve Zalewski consistently brings a perspective a lot of organizations need right now: security is not separate from the business — it is part of how the business survives operationally, financially, and reputationally.

The discussion around resilience, risk tolerance, operational friction, and leadership tradeoffs is worth the time.

Worth following if you want practical discussions around risk, leadership, identity, resilience, and how the CISO role is actually evolving under real business pressure.

#CyberSecurity #CISO #SecurityLeadership #RiskManagement #ThePracticalSecurityShow

[1] https://youtu.be/w2hebl6vbtA

[2]: https://www.ciso.club/PracticalSecurity

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The scale of these crypto ATM scams says a lot about where cybercrime is heading: attackers are blending social engineering, financial manipulation, and accessibility into highly effective fraud operations.

What stands out here isn’t just the $388M in losses — it’s the operational simplicity. Criminals don’t need advanced malware when they can weaponize urgency, impersonation, and unfamiliarity with crypto transactions.

The fact that adults over 50 accounted for the majority of losses also highlights a growing gap between emerging financial technologies and user awareness. That gap is being exploited aggressively.

From a security leadership perspective, this is another reminder that cyber risk is no longer confined to enterprise environments. Threat actors are targeting trust systems, payment systems, and human behavior at scale.

And the bigger issue: these scams are becoming operationalized. Scripts, call centers, QR workflows, and crypto payment rails allow fraud campaigns to scale globally with very little friction.

Organizations should pay attention because the same manipulation techniques used here are increasingly showing up in BEC, help desk impersonation, MFA fatigue attacks, and executive fraud attempts.

The technology changes. The psychological exploitation doesn’t.

#CyberSecurity #CryptoScams #FraudPrevention #ThreatIntelligence #CyberCrime #SecurityLeadership

📰 FBI: Americans lost over $388 million to scams using crypto ATMs in 2025

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-americans-lost-over-388-million-to-scams-using-crypto-atms-in-2025/

via BleepingComputer · 🛡️ Powered by Cyberr Threat Intelligence — cyberr.ai/?tab=news

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[celebration:new_certification]Has successfully verified **Managing AI Governance in Organizations With ISO 42001** (Alison) and **Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer** (ISACA)

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[celebration:new_certification]Has successfully verified **ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor** (ISO/IEC) and **ISO/IEC 42001:2023 Lead Auditor** (Mastermind)

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Hi everyone, glad to be part of the community.

My background is primarily centered around vulnerability management, exposure reduction, and security operations, with a strong focus on how organizations operationalize security at scale. Over the years, I’ve worked across enterprise environments helping teams improve visibility, prioritize risk more effectively, and close the gap between detection and action.

A lot of my interest today is around attack path analysis, systemic risk, and how modern attackers chain together seemingly low-risk issues into meaningful operational impact.

Always happy to connect with others in the field, exchange perspectives, and learn from the community.

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