Ezra O.

Head of Cybersecurity

United States

About

Welcome to my profile. My work sits at the intersection of strategy, risk, and accountability. I focus on minimizing cyber threats from limiting strategic options, disrupting operations, or creating financial exposure that the organization never explicitly agreed to take. I do not optimize for control coverage or maturity scores. I optimize for the business. That means focusing efforts on risks that are addressable, material, and time-sensitive, and acting before they harden into costs, loss of trust, or regulatory consequences. Cybersecurity should look different depending on how the business competes. Are you a differentiator or a cost leader? If cybersecurity is not aligned with the business, cybersecurity is wrong. There is no cyber risk; there is only material risk. What you see on my page comes from my personal time discovering and expanding on topics outside of my normal dealings. You will see book reviews, perspectives on SEC Cybersecurity regulation, insights from podcasts, social media, and my own curiosity applied to cybersecurity through my daily observations (e.g., family, nature, religion, entertainment, commerce). <-- this is my fun time!

Experience

  • Personal Profile at Ezra Ortiz
    Jan 2016 - Present · 10 yrs 6 mos

  • Head of Cybersecurity at Peraton
    Aug 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 11 mos

    Led the cybersecurity program for a federal MSP environment (Data Center) supporting a major student loan organization serving a $1.6T loan portfolio and 43M borrowers, within Peraton’s Financial & Regulatory Business Unit. Directed strategy development and roadmap execution across security operations, incident response, security engineering, governance, risk, compliance (GRC), and identity and access management (IAM) in a hybrid on-prem and cloud environment.

  • United States Department of the Air Force (21 yrs 4 mos)
    • Senior Director of Global Cybersecurity Operations (U.S. Space Force, SpOC, Delta6)
      Jan 2020 - Aug 2022 · 2 yrs 8 mos

      Spearheaded a global cyber defense program's strategic design, implementation, and maturity to secure critical infrastructure, including global satellite systems (e.g,. GPS) and a global radar network. Directed 24/7 cybersecurity operations with a team of 350+ professionals across multiple geographical locations, ensuring resilience, operational continuity, and robust defense against advanced cyber threats. Advised the cybersecurity committee and delivered strategic updates to executives, aligning cyber initiatives with organizational goals and providing insights into emerging threats and program performance.

    • Digital Forensics & Incident Response Manager (92nd COS, 67th CW)
      Aug 2014 - Dec 2019 · 5 yrs 5 mos

      Managed Global Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) services to protect diverse U.S. National systems against advanced threats as part of a Cyber Protection Team by conducting rapid threat identification, mitigation, and recovery across complex technical environments spanning Enterprise IT, HCM Systems, Aerospace (e.g., fighter plane platforms), Global Satellites, Ground Radars, Operational technology (e.g., ICS/SCADA), and cloud infrastructures. Note: Special assignment (SDLC Director) to 780th MIB (JMOC) in support of U.S. Cyber Command

    • Multiple Roles (7th IS at 70th ISR Wing)
      Jun 2012 - Aug 2014 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      - R&D Portfolio Manager (Research Directorate) - Chipsets & Array Antennas - Data Scientist/Engineer (Technology Directorate) - ML, Decision Support Systems