(ISC)2 to ring in new year with new executive director

Taking the keys

Let the old man and new baby jokes commence. Along with welcoming a new year at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, cybersecurity industry association (ISC)2 will welcome a new executive director for the first time since 2008. New Year's Eve is the last day on the job for Hord Tipton, who has steered the long-lived security organization, which curates a widely respected certification program, throughout the entirety (so far) of its third decade in existence.

 

Tipton will be replaced by current (ISC)2 chief operating office David M. Shearer, who joined the organization a little more than two years ago after a long and distinguished IT career in various agencies of the United States government. After studying at Park College and National Defense University, Shearer began his professional pursuit of IT in the Coast Guard while studying for a master's degree from Syracuse University. After leaving the Coast Guard, he worked for the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Department of Agriculture.

 

Shearer said in a statement announcing his appointment that he feels honored to taking the wheel from Tipton, and lauded the outgoing executive's accomplishments. "We have an incredibly talented team at (ISC)2 and I look forward to utilizing the things I learned from one of my mentors, Hord Tipton, to lead the organization into the future," Shearer said. "(Tipton) has been an exemplary leader to (ISC)2 over his six-and-a-half-year tenure, from introducing new programs to ensuring the integrity and rigor of our certifications, to driving organizational focus toward membership."

 

(ISC)2 has more than 100,000 members worldwide, with member chapters in countries around the globe. It's been a banner year for the organization, which was founded in 1989 and has passed 2014 observing its 25-year anniversary.

 

Tipton expressed sadness in his (ISC)2 blog earlier this month, while also taking pride in the organization's recent accomplishments. "Working at (ISC)2 has been the highlight of my career," Tipton said. "I consider our 100,000 members, the staff and board members, past and present, a part of my extended family."

 

Among other accomplishments, Tipton presided over the launch of (ISC)2's annual Security Congress gathering. The group announced at the end of last week that it is seeking speakers for its fifth annual (ISC)2 Security Congress, to be held Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2015, in Anaheim, Calif.

 

Despite stepping down from executive leadership, Tipton won't be leaving (ISC)2 altogether: He intends to remain involved in (ISC)2 as a volunteer.

 

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