Derek has served as a founder, CEO, or advisor of early-stage companies for the last 27 years with a frequent focus on cyber security.
Over the past decade, Derek has served as the founder and Chairman of the Control System Cyber Security Association International (CS2AI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and supporting over 40,000 OT and ICS professionals around the globe. More recently, he has co-founded CambiOS Academy, LLC, an edtech company with an initial focus on tackling the cybersecurity skills gap by providing OT training delivered by the professionals who helped “invent” the industry. In addition, Derek founded and is committed to building the Level Zero Conference, where engineering meets cybersecurity to protect critical infrastructure.
Derek’s experience also includes co-founding the ICS Cyber Security business at the SANS Institute, serving as the founding GICSP Certification Steering committee chair, co-founding NexDefense, Inc., (now owned by Dragos) and CEO and co-founder of LogiKeep, Inc. At LogiKeep, Inc., where he was the co-inventor of Intellishield™, a pioneer IT security product which was later acquired by Cisco Systems. Derek is a former U.S. Navy Officer with experience in combat information management, communications security, and intelligence.
Derek pulls from his decades of experience as an entrepreneur, business owner and in cyber security to share interesting and relevant stories with his audiences.