Jerald West

About Jerald West

I am a cybersecurity executive with 20+years of experience building and leading security programs that reduce organizational risk, minimize liability, and drive measurable business outcomes.My work spans risk management, compliance frameworks, incident response, and security program design across both private and public sector environments.I bring a rare combination of hands-on technical depth and strategic leadership, backed by a Doctorate in Information Science (Cybersecurity), a CISO Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University, and a comprehensive certification portfolio including CISSP, CASP+, CySA+, PenTest+, and more. I don\'t just execute — I translate cybersecurity risk into language that resonates with boards, executives, and key stakeholders, helping organizations make informed decisions that protect their people, data, and bottom line.Beyond my executive and advisory work, I am passionate about developing the next generation of cyber professionals. I have served as an award-winning instructor at ECPI University and the Community College Workforce Alliance, and was honored with the Instructor of the Year Award in 2022.Currently open to CISO, VP of Security, and Fractional CISO opportunities.

Experience

1. Senior Cybersecurity Risk & Vulnerability Leader CISO Successor

   AdvanSix

   Jul 2019 — Present · Chester, VA, US

   Serve as the senior-most cybersecurity practitioner within AdvanSix\'s security function, operating at CISO scope across enterprise IT and OT environments. Designated as second-in-line for the CISO role, with full ownership of security strategy, governance, risk management, and executive reporting for a publicly traded manufacturing and chemical processing organization.• Reduced enterprise cyber risk exposure by 30–45% through risk-based vulnerability management across IT and OT environments• Decreased Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR) by 50–65% for critical vulnerabilities, achieving >95% remediation SLA compliance• Delivered $1M+ in risk avoidance and cyber insurance savings through OT security hardening and compliance maturation• Elevated security program maturity from 4.5 to 8.0 by building governance frameworks aligned to NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and NIST SP 800-82• Reduced phishing susceptibility from 93% to 45% enterprise-wide via gamified KnowBe4 awareness program• Improved Microsoft 365 Secure Score from 21.4% to 68% through cloud hardening and identity controls• Deployed and operationalized Qualys VMDR, CrowdStrike NG-SIEM, and Dragos across IT and OT environments• Built and led a team of 8 cybersecurity professionals, driving talent development and strategic workforce planning• Delivered executive risk reporting to CIO and CEO, translating technical risk into board-level business language

Education

• Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University

  MNCM (Information Security), Network Communications Management

  2009 — 2010

• Albany Technical College

  Diploma, Computer Electronics

  2000 — 2002

• Darton College

  Associate of Applied Science of Technology, Computer Electronics

  2002 — 2003

• Capitol Technology University

  Doctorate of Science, Computer and Information Systems Security/Information Assurance

  2012

• DeVry University

  Technical Management

  2007 — 2009

• Capitol Technology University

  Doctorate of Science in Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity

  2012 — 2020

• Carnegie Mellon University

  CISO Executive Program