Steve Dean

Steve Dean has extensive work experience in the technology and information security field. Steve is currently serving as the Vice President of Information Technology and CISO at Astra since 2022. Prior to this, they held the position of Vice President of Cloud Infrastructure at Cloudera from 2019 to 2022. From 2014 to 2019, Steve worked at Hortonworks as the Vice President of Information Technology, Tech Ops, CIO, and Security Officer, where they were responsible for various aspects of information technology and business systems. Before Hortonworks, Steve was the Vice President of Global Operations and Corporate IT at Proofpoint from 2011 to 2014, leading technical platform operations and information security. Steve also worked as a Principal Consultant at Zonewatch Consulting LLC from 2007 to 2012, providing strategic IT consulting services. Steve has held leadership positions at RealNetworks, EarthLink Internet, and WorldCom, where they were responsible for managing technical infrastructure, information security, and product operations. Steve began their career in the USMC Special Operations as a Cryptologic Technician.

Steve Dean is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University, with an expected completion date in 2023. In 1986 to 1987, they attended the Center for Information Dominance Unit Corry Station, where they studied Cryptological Communications and Security Operations.

In terms of certifications, Steve has obtained multiple certifications throughout their career. In 2019, they obtained the CompTIA A+ ce Certification and the ITIL Foundation certification from PeopleCert. In 2020, they obtained the CompTIA Network+ ce Certification, the CompTIA IT Operations Specialist – CIOS Stackable Certification, and the CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist – CSIS Stackable Certification. In 2021, they achieved the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) certification from (ISC)² and the EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist v2 certification from EC-Council.

Most recently, in 2023, Steve obtained the CompTIA Security Analytics Professional certification and the CompTIA CySA+ ce Certification, both from CompTIA. Steve was also recognized with the WGU Capstone Excellence Award from Western Governors University, although the exact date of achievement is unknown.