Walter Woods
Huntersville,NC
Summary
Versatile and results-driven Information Security Executive with 15+ years of IT and cybersecurity experience, including leadership of enterprise-wide cyber risk management, incident response, disaster recovery, and audit readiness programs. Proven success aligning security strategy with business objectives and regulatory expectations across financial institutions and critical infrastructure. Expert in leading high-performing technical teams, managing security budgets, developing policies, and delivering enterprise security awareness initiatives. Skilled in regulatory frameworks including NIST-CSF, NIST 800-series, ISO 27001, SOX, PCI-DSS, and FFIEC. Passionate about advancing security program maturity, fostering a security-first culture, and building resilient, compliant environments across cloud and on-prem infrastructure.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Manager, Vice President – Cloud Cybersecurity Risk
Huntington National Bank
08.2022 - Current
- Directed implementation of cybersecurity risk governance aligned to NIST 800-53 Rev. 5 and ISO 27001.
- Supported audits and regulatory exams (OCC, FRB, SOC2, ISO, FedRAMP) through control testing, documentation, and remediation.
- Delivered KRIs and cyber metrics to executive stakeholders, highlighting risk posture and remediation trends.
- Led cross-functional risk forums to resolve audit findings and coordinate incident preparedness.
- Developed and delivered cybersecurity awareness training for 300+ staff.
- Oversaw CSPM tooling and ensured secure baselines in AWS and Azure environments.
- Conducted cloud security reviews, architecture assessments, and vulnerability analysis across enterprise cloud environments.
- Managed risk exception processes and participated in documentation of SSPs and POA&Ms.
Assistant Vice President – Cloud Security & SDLC Operational Risk
Wells Fargo
06.2021 - 07.2022
- Conducted cloud security assessments and advised on risk mitigation strategies.
- Defined KPIs for cloud posture, remediation timelines, and policy enforcement.
- Supported GLBA, SOX, and internal audits with documentation and control evidence.
- Collaborated with leaders across compliance, security, and engineering teams.
- Participated in architecture reviews and vulnerability analysis for cloud applications.
- Contributed to POA&M and CMP documentation as part of security oversight.
Senior Threat Analyst (Contractor)
Truist Financial
06.2020 - 06.2021
- Conducted incident response and threat intelligence operations to detect and contain cyber threats.
- Partnered with SOC and Threat Intelligence teams to assess vulnerability criticality and validate exploitability.
- Collaborated in the strategic creation of the Insider Threat Program and consulted on behavior-driven cyber resiliency scenarios with Legal, HR, and threat intelligence teams.
- Supported cyber resiliency tabletop exercises and provided metrics and post-incident analysis.
- Participated in security tool tuning and threat detection use case development.
Senior IT Auditor
Advance Auto Parts
02.2019 - 06.2020
- Led and executed audits across IT and business units, contributing to compliance with PCI, ISO, and SOC2 standards.
- Developed internal tools and improved control processes across third-party and internal systems.
- Performed risk-based IT and business audits, including PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 reviews.
- Supported SOC2 and internal audit readiness through policy development and ServiceNow GRC implementation.
- Evaluated vendor compliance and third-party risk posture.
- Identified $2M+ in exposure related to fraud and security gaps.
Senior Systems Engineer
Fidelity Investments
06.2016 - 12.2018
- Served as a trusted engineering lead for DR, endpoint security, and vulnerability remediation.
- Partnered with cloud security teams to enforce control baselines in AWS and Azure environments.
- Led OS imaging, server administration, and enterprise patch management across both on-prem and cloud-hosted infrastructure.
- Conducted DR testing, endpoint security audits, and vulnerability remediation.
- Participated in cyber resiliency and business continuity exercises.
- Ensured configurations in AWS and Azure aligned with security baselines.
- Managed enterprise patching lifecycle, vulnerability assessments, and exception handling.
- Drafted and maintained technical documentation, including CMPs, SOPs, and patching schedules.
Lead Systems Administrator
Apex College
01.2012 - 05.2016
- Directed IT operations including security hardening, access management, and policy enforcement.
- Managed business continuity, MFA deployment, and compliance functions.
- Implemented training and awareness for staff on security protocols.
Education
B.S. - Information Technology
East Carolina University
Greenville, NCB.S. - Business Administration
East Carolina University
Greenville, NCA.S. - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Tempe, AZSkills
- Information Security Leadership Cyber Risk Management Incident Response Disaster Recovery
- Security Program Maturity Audit Readiness Policy & Procedure Development Budget Oversight
- Security Awareness Training Cross-Functional Governance Stakeholder Engagement
- Regulatory Compliance: NIST-CSF NIST 800-53 Rev 5 ISO 27001 PCI-DSS SOC2 SOX FFIEC
- Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP CSPM Secure Configuration Baselines CNAPP
- Tools: Archer, ServiceNow GRC, Prisma Cloud, CrowdStrike, Splunk, IAM, Tableau
- Vulnerability & Patch Management Security Architecture Reviews SSP POA&M CMP SOP
- Risk Metrics & KRI Reporting Executive Dashboarding Technical Control Testing
Certification
- CISSP (in progress) | CISM (in progress) | AWS Solutions Architect (in progress)
- AWS Cloud Practitioner | CCSK | ITIL v3 | Oracle OCI Architect | CSPO | CSM
Timeline
Senior Manager, Vice President – Cloud Cybersecurity Risk
Huntington National Bank
08.2022 - Current
Assistant Vice President – Cloud Security & SDLC Operational Risk
Wells Fargo
06.2021 - 07.2022
Senior Threat Analyst (Contractor)
Truist Financial
06.2020 - 06.2021
Senior IT Auditor
Advance Auto Parts
02.2019 - 06.2020
Senior Systems Engineer
Fidelity Investments
06.2016 - 12.2018
Lead Systems Administrator
Apex College
01.2012 - 05.2016
B.S. - Information Technology
East Carolina University
B.S. - Business Administration
East Carolina University
A.S. - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
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