Theresa Payton

About Theresa Payton In the wake of recent, debilitating cyberattacks at Anthem, Sony Pictures, Home Depot, Yahoo! and 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 regarding efforts to strengthen their privacy and cybersecurity. Named one of the top 25 Most Influential People in Security by Security Magazine, 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. Previously, she held executive roles in banking technology at Bank of America and Wells Fargo, facilitating her broad knowledge of cybersecurity risks and measures in the financial services industry. 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 and help understanding and improving their IT systems. Payton collaborated with cybersecurity and privacy attorney, Ted Claypoole, to author two books focused on helping others learn how to protect their privacy online, after receiving a number of pleas from friends and strangers regarding account hacking. Hailed as 'must-reads,' Privacy in the Age of Big Data and Protecting Your Internet Identity, outline peoples' rights, as well as tips and strategies for building and maintaining a positive online image. Jon Stewart had Payton on "The Daily Show" to discuss her book and the emerging threats to our privacy and security. Payton is often sought out by media news outlets to explain complex security issues in business and consumer terms to get behind the hype to understand, in layman's 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, CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, and even news outlets in Canada and Ireland. 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 organization's cybersecurity, and she and her team provide insight and methods critical to protecting people and organizations from rapidly evolving cyberattacks. She and the Fortalice team were recently named to the Top 5 Most Innovative Cybersecurity Companies in NoVa/MD/DC.