For over 4 decades, Wes has been building a successful career in Information Security. He is an award-winning professional and sought-after speaker. The wisdom he offers provides significant value to his audience members. Wes commits to providing valuable lessons including actionable items that may be executed immediately to make a bigger impact in his audience members’ lives and careers.

Wes was recruited by IBM and based in Atlanta where he spent many years building his corporate career with the Fortune 50 legend. The lessons he learned and shared were significantly valued by everyone who had the privilege of working with him. Wes is known as a gifted leader and trusted mentor.

In 1996, Wes began his entrepreneurial journey providing consulting and training services to Network Security clientele. His agency developed a specialization with Assessments and Forensics. Wes is still a certified instructor in Ethical Hacking and Forensic Investigation. His student reviews speak volumes on the valuable nuggets he offers. Wes always goes above and beyond to deliver the content in a way that is easily digestible to all students. If a student is not grasping concepts, Wes knows and takes extra care to help those students during a break or after the class concludes. He truly cares about helping the CISO community build and develop their careers.

Wes was presented with an outstanding opportunity to work with Georgia’s Department of Revenue (DOR) 12 years ago. Throughout his tenure, he has fulfilled many roles. He is currently the Chief Information Security Officer and manages the DOR Office of Information Security. His department is responsible for maintaining the security of taxpayer and motor vehicle information that is valued at approximately $26 billion in annual revenue. Under his leadership, his team protects annual taxes and ensures that the DOR complies with applicable State and Federal regulations. His team is also responsible for the forensics required in DOR’s criminal investigations.

Committed to giving back and mentoring as much as possible, Wes serves on several Executive Advisory Committees including the Evanta CISO Governing Body. In 2018, Wes was awarded the Information Security Executive Southeast People’s Choice Award. This prestigious honor was voted and awarded by his peers. This award recognizes the ISE® Executive Nominee who exemplifies the attributes of a leader in the information security industry.

Wes and his wife Elizabeth have been married for 46 years and have 5 children and 11 grandchildren.