Her career accomplishments are branded by a pioneering spirit and commitment to transforming foundational programs into future threat intelligence and risk management strategies. Above all else, Renee is passionate about building tomorrow’s cybersecurity workforce today. She currently serves as Microsoft’s Senior Director of Azure Hardware Systems & Infrastructure and is responsible for driving the progression of the global security risk & compliance baseline for Azure hardware systems. Renee is also an Adjunct Professor at Morehouse College where she helps to prepare our next generation to enter the cyber workforce.

Renee’s ability to engage a wide range of technical and business stakeholders started with an early mastery of technical principles that proved essential to her success as Capital One’s Senior Director of Cyber Assurance where she was responsible for Governance and Risk, Supply Chain Risk Management, Customer Authentication, PCI and Mergers and Acquisition Cyber Due Diligence. Opting for a career in federal service, Renee also served as the Department of Energy’s Deputy CIO for Cyber Security and Enterprise Operations. She also served as the Executive Director for the Cyber Skills Management Support Initiative at the Department of Homeland Security. There, she nurtured critical relationships among DHS leaders and external stakeholders such as the White House National Security Council and served as the cyber workforce subject matter expert to OPM senior leadership in the development of the Federal Cyber Workforce Strategy.

Renee has been honored with the SC Magazine’s Women of Influence award and ACT-IAC’s Igniting Innovation award. She is a featured guest speaker at events such as Black Hat, RSA Conference, the Black Enterprise TechConneXt Tech Summit, and the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals Conference. She has served on the NIST National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Federal Working Group, the (ISC)2 North American Advisory Council and the Executive Women’s Forum Board of Advisors. She also currently serves on the Research External Advisory Council for the University of Texas, San Antonio, the I3P for George Washington University and the Kogod CyberSecurity Governance Center for American University. Renee also serves as the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) Mergers & Acquisitions working group co-chair. She is a guest lecturer, published author and has briefed members of Congress and staff regarding minority underrepresentation in cybersecurity.

Renee holds a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University, M.S. in Engineering Management from George Washington University, and Honorary Doctorate Degree of Science and Technology from Champlain College. She is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Shared Assessments Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP), and has received a Certification in Mergers and Acquisitions from Columbia School of Business.