Through her journey from young counterterrorism expert to experienced leader of multidisciplinary intelligence teams, Alex Kobray has demonstrated her ability to adapt, rise to new challenges and make an impact defending organizations from ever-evolving threats.
Now vice president of intelligence at Flashpoint, Kobray’s illustrious career has earned her the recognition of Power Player in SC Media’s 2024 Women in IT Security program.
Kobray’s crucial leadership role at Flashpoint ensures the company’s more than 750 clients are prepared to face threats ranging from ransomware and extortion to hybrid warfare by nation-state actors, which combines cyber and physical threats in sophisticated campaigns targeting critical infrastructure, supply chains and the private sector. Kobray’s expertise in tackling cyber threats stemming from geopolitical conflict harkens back to her earlier years and the events that sparked her passion for counterterrorism.
“Growing up in the tri-state area, the attacks on 9/11 deeply influenced me. Many families from my commuter community were profoundly affected, and it was at this moment that my interest in counterterrorism began,” Kobray said.
Kobray earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a focus on conflict and security and a minor in religion from George Washington University, and subsequently achieved her master’s degree in global affairs, transnational security from New York University. During her education, she also benefited from the experience of internships at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC, and the office of Sen. Edward Kaufman, D-Del.
“At the time, I assumed a government career was the natural path, but my perspective shifted when I connected with [CEO] Josh Lefkowitz during Flashpoint’s early days. Flashpoint’s work in counterterrorism offered a rare opportunity to directly tackle real-world threats in the private sector,” Kobray said.
At the beginning of her more than decade-long career at Flashpoint, Kobray spent her days tracing the paths of extremists, including jihadists and white supremacists, across social media and the dark web. Her work and subject matter expertise led her to testify at federal terrorism trials and appear as an analyst on television programs including NBC News, all while still in her early 20s.
Kobray’s resilience and skillful navigation of demanding, high-pressure situations early in her professional life — all while facing skepticism as a young woman in a male-dominated field — proved her ability to adapt and overcome, and ultimately helped her build the confidence and skills to become the trusted leader in counterterrorism and cybersecurity she is today, colleagues said.
Kobray’s role has expanded beyond just counterterrorism efforts to include the wide variety of cyber threats faced by Flashpoint’s clients every day. Her leadership enables organizations to harness critical threat intelligence on ransomware, fraud, disinformation, physical threats and more, as well as receive specialized services such as cyber extortion training and incident response assistance.
“Today’s threat landscape is marked by the convergence of geopolitical, cyber, and physical threats. This era has brought significant changes to the global threat landscape, with nation-state actors increasingly blurring the lines between traditional cybercrime and state-sponsored campaigns,” Kobray said, noting that emerging hybrid tactics, such as ransomware use by nation-state attackers, have increased the complexity of mitigation and makes high-quality threat intelligence all the more important.
As a leader, Kobray not only empowers her team to deliver crucial services and intelligence to organizations, but also serves as a role model encouraging other women in her field to pursue new challenges and leadership roles. She believes it’s important for organizations to elevate and promote the voices of leaders from diverse backgrounds while also avoiding tokenism, ensuring opportunities are based in merit and achievement.
“Beyond policies and promotions, organizations need to cultivate a culture of respect and equity. This means treating all employees — regardless of their background — with fairness and valuing their contributions equally,” Kobray said. “Representation matters, but the way people are supported and encouraged within an organization has even more lasting impact on how inclusive the industry can become.”
Overall, Kobray hopes to lead by example and pass down the perseverance and confidence she developed through her own journey as a young woman rising up through the threat intelligence field.
“I try to foster an environment where every team member — women included — feels supported to excel and grow. Seeing the incredibly work female managers on my team have done and watching them thrive as they step into leadership roles has been a highlight of my career,” Kobray said.
