Tia Hopkins

Tia has spent more than two decades in the IT and IT Security industries and is currently a Chief Cyber Resilience Officer & Field CISO. In addition to this, she is an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity, women’s tackle football team owner and head 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. In 2024, Tia was recognized by SIA’s Women in Security Forum as a Power 100 Honoree, acknowledged on Secureframe’s list of 50 CISOs and Cybersecurity Leaders Shaping the Future of Information Security, named a cybersecurity pundit by Cybersecurity Ventures, and made SC Media’s Women in IT Security Honoree list as a top advocate.

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, CSO Online, SC Media, 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’. She is also featured in The Women in Security Documentary – a film focused on sharing real stories, lived experiences, and what it takes to lead in an industry that hasn’t always made room women. Tia is the Founder and CEO of Empow(H)er Cybersecurity, a non-profit organization aimed at inspiring and empowering women of color to pursue cybersecurity careers, and 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.