Michael Burch

Michael Burch has a diverse work experience that spans various industries and roles. Michael currently serves as the Director of Application Security at Security Journey, where they are responsible for creating vulnerable code examples and managing a team of application security engineers. Prior to this, they worked as an Application Security Engineer at the same company, developing security training content and leading the creation of secure coding best practices.

Before joining Security Journey, Michael worked as a Senior Cyber Security Specialist for the North Carolina National Guard. In this role, they led the Cyber Network Defender program and mentored a team of soldiers in communication engineering and security. Michael also served as a Cyber Security Specialist, responding to incidents, conducting network assessments, and maintaining security systems.

Michael has also held positions at Lockheed Martin as a Software Developer, where they worked on web application development using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and C#. Additionally, they worked as a Senior Desktop Support Technician at CACI International Inc, ensuring computer system security and performance.

In the earlier years of their career, Michael served in the U.S. Army in various roles. Michael was a Special Forces Medical Sergeant in the 3rd Special Forces Group, where they provided tactical advice and assistance to foreign country leadership in counter-terrorism operations. Michael also worked as an Airborne Ranger Infantryman in the 75th Ranger Regiment, conducting numerous combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and leading a team of soldiers.

Overall, Michael Burch's work experience encompasses roles in application security, cyber security, software development, desktop support, and military leadership.

Michael Burch's education history begins in 2013 when they attended Fayetteville Technical Community College and obtained an Associate's degree in General Studies, which they completed in 2015. Michael then went on to study at Colorado Technical University from 2017 to 2018, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Systems Security/Information Assurance.

In addition to their formal education, Michael Burch holds several certifications. In 2018, they obtained the Security+ CE (SY0-501) certification from CompTIA, followed by the GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA), GIAC Certified Enterprise Defender (GCED), GIAC Python Coder (GPYC), and GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) certifications from GIAC Certifications in 2019. In 2020, they obtained the UX Certificate from Nielsen Norman Group, followed by the GIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification (GMON) and GIAC Security Leadership (GSLC) certifications from GIAC Certifications.