HI

My name is Brian. I'm an Instructional Faculty member and Dean's Teaching Fellow for the Information Systems & Operations Management Academic Unit at George Mason University's (GMU) Costello College of Business. I have been teaching in Higher Education since January 2018, and have been at GMU since August 2012 (my freshmen year!). My teaching areas of responsibility are focused in the fields of information security management and business process improvement.

In addition to my experience in academia, I have over a decade of experience in Application Security, Cyber Policy and Assessment, Process Improvement, RDT&E Program Management, Operations Management, & Training in the industry. Most of my work has been in support to the U.S. Federal Government and the corproation, but some of my cyber policy and assessment related work have been for international clients in the UAE as well. I started out at Parsons Corporation as a software engineering intern back in 2013, which has led me to roles within the company such as Deputy (to the VP) for the Space & Technology Group, as well as Deputy (to the VP) for Digital Engineering Programs.

To keep up with the ever changing fields of technology and cyber security, I hold memberships with PMI, [(ISC)2], ISACA, & EC-Council. In addition, I hold a Cyber Executive Membership with the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA). I also participate in the development of questions on certification exams administered by [(ISC)2] – the organization best known for the CISSP credential. I am also very honored to be one of a select few in the world (#87) who holds the CISSP credential with all three concentrations (Architecture, Engineering, & Management).

Outside of academia and work, I enjoy traveling, cruising, and the occasional round of bad golf. And yes, I do my best to workout three times a week, but I'll be honest, I dread every minute of it. I also enjoy dabbling in real estate and securities investments, which is something my first boss really influenced me into during my 2013 Parsons Internship. We all need a healthy hobby right?

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): Information Technology
George Mason University College of Engineering & Computing, 2019 - 2024

Masters of Science (MS): Applied Information Technology (Cyber Security)
George Mason University College of Engineering & Computing, 2016 - 2017

Bachelors of Science (BS): Applied Information Technology (Information Security)
George Mason University College of Engineering & Computing, 2012 - 2016

Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C|CISO)

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Certified Information Systems Security Architecture, Engineering, & Management Professional
(CISSP-ISSAP, ISSEP, & ISSMP)

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Certified in Risk & Information Systems Control (CRISC)

Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)

Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP)

Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Speaker for the "Experiential Learning: Cyber Internships with Industry Participants & Real Projects" Innovations in Teaching & Learning (ITL) Conference at George Mason University, Vol 15. [Accepted: 6 October 2023]

Speaker (with Nirup Menon) for the "Cyber Experiential Learning with Industry Participants & Real Projects" Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2023 Conference [12 August 2023]

Speaker for the "Cyber Experiential Learning: Projects with Students & Industry Partners" Thought Leadership Web Conference for the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) International [9 March 2023]

Speaker for the "Recorded & Scalable Guest Lectures: A COVID-19 Inspired Model" On-Demand Session for the ITL Conference at George Mason University, Vol 14: TBD [30 September 2022]

Speaker for the "Course Coordination: Balancing Instructor Autonomy & Content Standardization Across Multiple Sections" On-Demand Session for the ITL Conference at George Mason University, Vol 13: Fostering Inclusive Excellence [20 – 24 September 2021]

Speaker for the "Effective Hybrid Teaching = No Live Lectures w/ More Application-Based Activities: Makes the Students & My Throat Happier!" On-Demand Session for the ITL Conference at George Mason University, Vol 13: Fostering Inclusive Excellence [20 – 24 September 2021]

Panelist on the "Teaching Transformation Talks: How and Why Our Teaching is Evolving" Showcase Session for the ITL Conference at George Mason University, Vol 13: Fostering Inclusive Excellence [22 September 2021]

Moderator for the "Executive Development Program: Information Security & Business Continuity Challenges due to COVID-19 Webinar" event at George Mason University [10 April 2020]

Moderator for the "Professional Quest: Technology in Business Panel" event at George Mason University [7 November 2019]

Co-Speaker for the presentation topic of "Cyber Security Career Paths" for the assisting Females in Technology (aFIT) event at Northern Virginia Community College [12 September 2018]

Mentors Are Very Important
So I strive to have many mentors in different areas of my life and career because I want to continuously grow and be better.

Teaching Mentors:

Belal A.Fattah, PhD  
Associate Professor & Dean's Teaching Fellow, ISOM Unit at George Mason University

Research Mentors:

Mihai Boicu, PhD  
Associate Director of the Learning Agents Center and Associate Professor of Information Sciences & Technology at George Mason University

Nirup Menon, PhD  
Professor & Dean's Scholar - ISOM Unit at George Mason University

Industry Mentors:

Ken Carter, CISSP, PMP  
Senior Manager, Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security at Ernst & Young

Mauro Farinelli, USAF Col. (Ret.)  
Vice President, International Programs (Ret.) at Parsons Corporation (My First Boss)

Jerome Gates Sr.  
Lieutenant at the U.S. Park Police (Ret.) and Background Investigator at the Federal Bureau of Investigations (Ret.) (He gave me my first computer)

Al Hemphill, SES (Ret.)  
Vice President, Digital Engineering Programs at Parsons Corporation

Jacob Poulose  
Principal Systems Engineer at Parsons Corporation

Steve Rosser, PMP  
Program Executive (Ret.) at Parsons Corporation (My First Big Boss)

Darren Singleton, CISSP, CISM  
Senior Cyber Security Advisor at DXC Technology

Tom Winston, PhD  
Director, Intelligence Content at Dragos (My First - and the BEST - Cyber Security Professor)