Category: Influencer
Name: John Dickson
Title: Principal
Company: Denim group
Why Nominated: With his decades of experience in the cybersecurity industry, Dickson has worked as an influencer to move the industry in a positive direction, not only leading with his thoughts and ideas but also leading by example in a management position.
Dickson continuously gives back to his community and was recently tapped by Mayor Ron Nirenberg to act as a local airport task force leader heading a 21-person committee on making San Antonio International a more competitive player within the air travel market space. Dickson is currently the Chairman of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Cyber Security Committee where economic development, workforce and advocacy issues involving San Antonio's growing cyber security industry are coordinated.
Profile: Dickson has nearly 20-years hands-on experience in intrusion detection, network security and application security in the commercial, public and military sectors. A former U.S. Air Force officer, Dickson served in the Air Force Information Warfare Center (AFIWC) and was a member of the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team (AFCERT). Since his transition to the commercial arena, he has played significant client-facing roles with companies such as Trident Data Systems, KPMG and SecureLogix. Dickson is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Systems Security Association, he has been a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) since 1998.
As a Denim Group Principal, he helps executives and CISOs of Fortune 500 companies and government organizations launch and expands their critical application security initiatives. His leadership has been instrumental in Denim Group being honored by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the industry for five years in a row. Dickson's guidance and expertise play a direct role in the advancement of the cybersecurity industry whether it's in a private or public capacity. He's spent time training government employees in the ways of cyberwarfare to conduct defensive and offensive operations, along with consulting state governments on how best to protect themselves from intrusion as it is becoming more of a threat. Dickson is a popular speaker on security at industry venues including the RSA, the SANS Institute, and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). He is a sought-after security
expert and regularly contributes to and is featured in security publications such as Dark Reading, NPR, and the Associated Press to inform the public how best to stay ahead of everyday threats with a mission of building a world where technology is trusted.
What colleagues say:
"The tremendous breadth of John Dickson's experience is what makes him such an effective influencer in the security industry is. His roles in security span from the United States Air Force, to an entrepreneur running an Internet service provider, to a senior consultant at KPMG, to a member of a high-growth security start-up, and now to the Principal at Denim Group. In addition, he has both an MBA and a Masters degree in Public Administration. I don't know of anyone who has such a well-rounded background in the security industry, and this wide range of experience affords both deep insight into many aspects of the industry, as well as a unique ability to communicate between stakeholders with varied backgrounds.
- From Dan Cornell, CTO and Principal, Denim Group
