July Chapter Meeting: Four Basic Points That One Needs to Communicate Effectively. Speaker- Wes Knight

Organization Name: Needling Worldwide, LLC Topic/Subject title: Effective Communications Topic/Subject Abstract: Four Basic Points That One Needs to Communicate Effectively.

Speaker's bio:

For over 4 decades, Wes has been building a successful career in Information Security.  He is an award-winning professional and sought-after speaker. Wes was recruited by IBM and based in Atlanta where he spent many years building his corporate career with the Fortune 50 legend. The lessons he learned and shared were significantly valued by everyone who had the privilege of working with him. Wes is known as a gifted leader and trusted mentor.

In 1996, Wes began his entrepreneurial journey providing consulting and training services to Network Security clientele. His agency developed a specialization with Assessments and Forensics. Wes is still a certified instructor in Ethical Hacking, Forensic Investigation, and Certified CISO training. His student reviews speak volumes on the valuable nuggets he offers. Wes always goes above and beyond to deliver the content in a way that is easily digestible to all students. If a student is not grasping concepts, Wes knows and takes extra care to help those students during a break or after the class concludes.  He truly cares about helping the CISO community build and develop their careers.

Wes was presented with an outstanding opportunity to work with Georgia’s Department of Revenue (DOR) in 2008. Throughout his tenure, he has fulfilled many roles.  Prior to his retirement in 2020, Wes was the Chief Information Security Officer and managed the DOR Office of Information Security. His department was responsible for maintaining the security of taxpayer and motor vehicle information that is valued at approximately $26 billion in annual revenue. Under his leadership, his team protected annual taxes and ensures that the DOR complies with applicable State and Federal regulations. His team was also responsible for the forensics required in DOR’s criminal investigations.

Following his retirement from the State, Wes accepted a position as the Director of Business Development for the Government Sector with Needling Worldwide, LLC. There he conducts CMMC, NIST, and ISO27001 based audits and assessments as well as vCISO services.

Committed to giving back and mentoring as much as possible, Wes has served on several Executive Advisory Committees including the Evanta CISO Governing Body and the GA State University Evidence Based Cybersecurity Research Group. In 2018, Wes was awarded the Information Security Executive Southeast People’s Choice Award. This prestigious honor was voted and awarded by his peers.  This award recognizes the ISE® Executive Nominee who exemplifies the attributes of a leader in the information security industry.

Wes was also awarded the 2019 ISE Luminary Leadership Award winner during the ISE North America leadership Summit and Awards in Chicago IL.  Presented annually, the award celebrates the achievements of an outstanding leader and industry practitioner for his or her distinguished service, stewardship and contributions in advancing the information security industry.