Samuel Z.
PhD | AI Governance · Cybersecurity · Expert Witness | Fractional CISO | Energy · NERC CIP | NIST · FedRAMP · SOC 2 · HIPAA · COPPA · ISO 27001 | NSF Researcher | Keynote Speaker | US Gov Advisory
- Role
- Ai Policy & Energy State Government at Us Government
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Samuel Z.
I help Fortune 500 general counsels, DoD contractors, financial firms, energy utilities, and healthcare executives navigate high-stakes AI and cybersecurity risks, before they become $50M lawsuits or failed federal audits.What I Do:I’m retained as an expert witness for AI/cyber/energy litigation and as a fractional CISO for organizations needing rapid compliance without hiring a full-time executive.Typical engagements:1. Litigation support: AI bias claims, grid cyberattacks, renewable disputes ($500/hr; 20–60 hrs/case)2. DoD ATO acceleration: NIST RMF, SSP docs, POA & M ($15–40K; 6–10 weeks)3. Energy: NERC CIP compliance, AI governance for utilities, interconnection disputes ($400–600/hr)4. Regulatory testimony: SEC, FDA, FTC, FERC, state PUCs ($500–700/hr)5. Board advisory: Model risk frameworks (0.5–1% equity +$2–5K/month)Who I’ve Worked With:Fortune 500: Microsoft, Amazon, PwC, Bank of America, Duke Energy, PG & EFederal: NSF, NIST, DoD contractorsIndustries: Healthcare (HIPAA), fintech (SOC 2), energy (NERC CIP)Results- Litigation wins: Technical reports for juries; depositions under cross- 6-week ATO sprints vs. 6–12 month average- Zero major findings on SOC 2 Type II and NERC CIP audits- FDA/SEC/state PUC approvals for AI medical devices, algorithmic trading, utility cybersecurity investmentsWhy I’m Different: PhD + 15 yrs Microsoft/Amazon/NSF + 5 yrs Duke/PG & E + UK Faculty ISACA author: IT System & blockchain audit series (10K+ downloads)+ “First Conversation Problem in AI” Bridge AI governance, cybersecurity, and energy regulationsExpertise: AI/LLM governance, NIST RMF/SOC 2/CMMC, NERC CIP, renewable energy, regulatory testimony (SEC/FDA/FTC/FERC/PUCs)Energy Focus:5+ years advising utilities on AI + grid cybersecurity. I translate NIST AI RMF into NERC CIP requirements—essential as utilities deploy billions in AI for grid modernization while maintaining critical infrastructure protection.Let’s Talk If: • Facing AI/cyber/energy litigation • DoD contractor needing ATO/CMMC • Utility deploying AI or facing NERC audit • Finance/Healthcare adopting AI • Law firm building AI/cyber/energy practice DM openCurrent: Defense-tech startups (SBIR)| AI governance research for Academy of Management Journal | AICPA blockchain course | Energy AI board advisor
Experience
Ai Policy & Energy State Government
Feb 2024 — Present
NIST, AI training and education, information systems, policy, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Subjects Research, User Experience, Survey, Statistics, Qualitative, Quantitative
Education
Microsoft
Azure Cloud, CyberSecurity | Machine Learning AI | Blockchain
2019 — 2023
University of Washington
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
Microsoft Academy Training
Microsoft Professional Program Certification for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, HDInsight/SQL Server/C#/Python/R/Spark/Azure
2016 — 2020
Data Science World Conference H20 2015
NA, Data Science
2015 — 2015
San José State University
Masters, Economics & Finance
University of California, Berkeley
Na, Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
Paypal Data Science Camp
NA, Data Science
2015 — 2015
Amazon Web Services
Cloud, S3 and EC2
2017 — 2018
ISACA
CE, CISA
University of Nevada, Reno
PhD
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