professional bio

Tia has spent more than two decades in the IT and IT Security industries and is currently the Chief Cyber Resilience Officer & Field CTO at eSentire. In addition to her role at eSentire, she is an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity, women’s tackle football coach, keynote speaker, published author, and LinkedIn Learning Instructor.

Tia holds several industry certifications including the CISSP, CISM, and GSLC in addition to a BS in Information Technology, MS in Information Security and Assurance, MS in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, and an Executive Master of Business Administration. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Cybersecurity Leadership where her research is focused on leveraging cyber resilience to bridge the communication gap between digital leaders, non-technical business leaders, and board directors.

Tia was recognized by SC Media as an outstanding educator in 2019, as well as one of The Software Report's Top 25 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity and Cyber Defense Magazine's Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity; both in 2020. In 2021, Tia was recognized as a Top Influencer in the Security Executives category by IFSEC Global and was #1 on Dark Reading’s list of ‘8 More Women in Security You May Not Know but Should’ in 2022. In 2023, Tia was named one of the Top 25 Leaders in Cybersecurity, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from AmeriCorps and the Office of the President of the United States, and earned the SANS Difference Makers People’s Choice Award for Team Leader of the Year. 

Tia is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and has been featured in well-known publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Dark Reading, and Information Week. She contributed a chapter to the book ‘The Rise of Cyber Women: Volume 2’ and is co-author of two best-selling books: ‘Hack the Cybersecurity Interview’ and ‘Securing Our Future: Embracing the Resilience and Brilliance of Black Women in Cyber’. Tia is also the Founder of Empow(H)er Cybersecurity, a non-profit organization aimed at inspiring and empowering women of color to pursue cybersecurity careers, and she sits on the board of Cyversity, a non-profit association dedicated to diversifying, educating and empowering women, traditionally underrepresented minorities, and veterans in their pursuits and growth within the cybersecurity industry.