Theresa Payton

In the wake of recent, debilitating cyberattacks at Equifax, Sony Pictures, Target and privacy breaches against prominent individuals in the public eye, Theresa Payton remains the cybersecurity and intelligence operations expert that people and companies turn to in order to strengthen their privacy and cybersecurity. Named by IFSEC Global as the 4th among the top 50 of the world's cybersecurity professionals and by Security Magazine as one of the top 25 Most Influential People in Security, she is one of America's most respected authorities on security and intelligence operations.

The first female to serve as White House Chief Information Officer, Payton oversaw IT operations for the President and his staff from 2006 to 2008 during a period of unprecedented technological change and escalating threats. Previously, she held executive roles in banking technology at Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Currently, as the founder, president and CEO of a world class cybersecurity consulting company, Fortalice Solutions, LLC and co-Founder of Dark3, a cybersecurity product company, she remains the expert that organizations call for discretion, proactive solutions, and incident response / crisis management. Fortalice was recently named one of the Top 5 Innovative Cybersecurity companies in the D.C./MD/NoVa region and Theresa was recently awarded the Enterprising Women of the Year Award for the 2nd year in a row.

Payton was recently featured as the Deputy Director of Intelligence Operations in the new hit reality show CBSʼ Hunted. Payton collaborated with cybersecurity and privacy attorney, Ted Claypoole, to author two books focused on helping others learn how to protect their privacy online. Hailed as ʻmust-reads,ʼ by Jon Stewart when he talked to Payton on “The Daily Show” and by Katie Couric on her show "Katie's Take" the books assist the laymen with the security and private challenges of their times.

Payton is often sought out by national and international media news outlets to explain complex security issues in business and consumer terms to get behind the hype to understand, in laymanʼs terms, how to protect your privacy and security. She has been a repeat guest on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox Business Shows, Fox News Shows, CBS Morning & Evening News, BBC TV News and Radio, CBSN, CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, and NPR.

Recognized as a 2015 William J. Clinton distinguished lecturer by the Clinton School of Public Service, Payton passionately protects her clients, from the board room to the server room, and helps them understand the business risks to their organizationʼs cybersecurity. She and her team provide insight and methods critical to protecting people and organizations from rapidly evolving cyberattacks.

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