CURTIS T. BLOUNT
Summary
Strategic and results-driven Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with over 40 years of progressive leadership in information technology and cybersecurity across government, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant with a strong foundation in secure communications and intelligence. Demonstrated success in developing and leading enterprise-wide security programs, risk & threat management initiatives, and compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR). Expert in cloud security architecture (AWS, Azure, GCP), threat detection, incident response, and modern security operations in agile and SAAS environments. Holds CISSP, CISM, and CRISC certifications. Adept at aligning cybersecurity strategies with business goals, reducing risk exposure, and driving innovation through AI and next-gen security technologies.
Overview
40
40
years of professional experience
4
4
Certification
Work History
Virtual Chief Information Security Officer
Cozen O'Connor
01.2024 - 01.2025
- Provided strategic cybersecurity leadership as a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (VCISO), overseeing enterprise-wide information security programs, and aligning them with business objectives for Cozen O'Connor.
- Assessed and enhanced existing cybersecurity policies, controls, and frameworks in accordance with industry standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, and HIPAA, ensuring compliance, and risk mitigation.
- Led third-party risk management, incident response planning, and security awareness initiatives, strengthening organizational resilience and security posture.
- Collaborated with legal, compliance, and IT stakeholders to develop and implement tailored security roadmaps, vendor assessments, and regulatory compliance strategies.
Senior Partner, Director of Cloud Operations
Enterprise Engineering
01.2012 - 01.2023
- Spearheaded the design, deployment, and management of global cloud infrastructure across AWS and Azure, ensuring 99.99% system uptime and scalability for enterprise-level applications supporting millions of users.
- Directed cross-functional teams of cloud engineers, DevOps specialists, and site reliability engineers to implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD pipelines, and automated monitoring, enhancing operational efficiency by 35%.
- Partnered with security and compliance teams to enforce enterprise cloud governance, resulting in a 40% reduction in cloud-related vulnerabilities and alignment with SOC 2 and ISO 27001 standards.
- Led the migration of legacy platforms to modern cloud-native architectures, achieving a 50% improvement in application performance and a 25% reduction in operational costs.
Chief Information Security Officer
CONTINUUM HEALTH ALLIANCE
01.2016 - 01.2017
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive enterprise-wide security program aligned with NIST 800-53, HITRUST, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA frameworks, achieving 100% regulatory compliance and enhancing incident response capabilities.
- Led risk assessments and internal audits across all departments, identifying and mitigating 150+ high-priority vulnerabilities, surpassing compliance benchmarks by 20%.
- Designed and enforced standardized security protocols organization-wide, ensuring full adherence to PCI-DSS, HIPAA/HITECH, and Medicare/Medicaid Payment System regulations.
- Strengthened organizational cybersecurity posture through proactive risk management, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement of policies and controls.
Chief Security Officer and Strategist
ETSEC-ANX EBUSINESS CORPORATION
01.2009 - 01.2012
- Led the development and execution of comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, enhancing threat detection and resolving 10+ critical security alerts weekly, ensuring compliance with regulatory mandates.
- Designed and launched a robust MSSP portfolio—including managed firewalls, SIEM, and content filtering—across five security platforms, driving $3.4M in annual recurring revenue and onboarding three enterprise clients.
- Conducted enterprise-wide risk and vulnerability assessments aligned with NIST-CSF, ISO 27001, NERC-SIP, ISA/IEC 62443, and PCI-DSS frameworks; certified PCI-DSS Assessor and Auditor.
- Served as a strategic VAR for major cybersecurity vendors, including Check Point, Cisco, Juniper, Websense, Q1 Labs, ArcSight, and Qualys, driving value-added solutions and enhancing client security postures.
Chief Data Security Officer
COWEN & COMPANY, LLC / SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE
01.2006 - 01.2009
- Data Security Officer responsible for developing and implementing data security strategies, policies, and procedures to protect the financial firm's data assets during the divestment and split between Cowen & Company and Societe Generale.
- Lead efforts to comply with data security regulations and standards, ensuring data privacy and integrity aligning with US financial regulations.
- Spearhead the development and execution of comprehensive data security strategies, policies, and protocols to fortify the firm's data assets.
Chief Security Officer
OGILVY AND MATHER WORLDWIDE
01.2002 - 01.2005
- Orchestrated global security strategies, ensuring alignment with industry regulations and internal policies, resulting in a 30% decrease in security incidents.
- Directed a team of cybersecurity professionals in executing risk assessments and vulnerability tests, proactively identifying and mitigating security threats across all business units.
- Collaborated cross-functionally to develop and implement comprehensive security policies and procedures, fortifying the organization's overall security posture.
- Strategically managed security budgets and resources, optimizing expenditures for maximum security effectiveness and return on investment.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Information Technology - Information Assurance & C
CAPELLA UNIVERSITY
Minneapolis, MNAssociate of Science - Computer Science Technology
DREXEL UNIVERSITY COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER
Philadelphia, PASkills
- Strategic Leadership and Vision
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Executive Communication
- Crisis and Incident Management
- Risk-Based Thinking
- AI Security Strategy
- SDLC Integration
- Security Architecture Design
- Change Management
- Mentorship
- Governance Advocacy
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Security Frameworks
- Cloud Security Engineering
- Threat Detection
- Incident Response
- Patch Management
- Vulnerability
- Access Management
- Threat Intelligence
- Continuous Improvement
- Compliance
- Team Development
- EDR Tools
- Data privacy compliance
- Vendor risk management
- Cloud security management
- Business continuity planning
- Cybersecurity strategy development
- Security policy creation
- Compliance management
- Team building
- Security metrics
- Threat intelligence analysis
- Identity and Access management
- Vulnerability assessment
Certification
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- Product Certifications from Checkpoint, Okta, Ping Identity, Qualys, Q1 Labs, RSA, Cisco, Splunk, Alien Vault, among many others
MILITARY SERVICE
US Army, Retired, SSGT, 2nd Signal Brigade, 39th Signal Battalion, 128th Signal Intelligence Company, Brussels, Belgium
Timeline
Virtual Chief Information Security Officer
Cozen O'Connor
01.2024 - 01.2025
Chief Information Security Officer
CONTINUUM HEALTH ALLIANCE
01.2016 - 01.2017
Senior Partner, Director of Cloud Operations
Enterprise Engineering
01.2012 - 01.2023
Chief Security Officer and Strategist
ETSEC-ANX EBUSINESS CORPORATION
01.2009 - 01.2012
Chief Data Security Officer
COWEN & COMPANY, LLC / SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE
01.2006 - 01.2009
Chief Security Officer
OGILVY AND MATHER WORLDWIDE
01.2002 - 01.2005
Associate of Science - Computer Science Technology
DREXEL UNIVERSITY COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER
Bachelor of Science - Information Technology - Information Assurance & C
CAPELLA UNIVERSITY
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