Introducing Cyber Strategist Kamaal Thomas #ShareTheMicInCyber

As a veteran in the field, I am motivated to find and enable young talent in cybersecurity. As threats become more sophisticated and risks become more damaging, it's essential that we elevate diverse talent, bringing in more experiences and points of view to our field regardless of race, gender, or any other way of categorizing ourselves. Actually, maybe it's not "regardless of" but "because of" to not only do the right thing but to also bring fresh ideas and drive change.

With that said, I’m participating in the #ShareTheMicInCyber, which aims to amplify #BlackVoices in the field. I would like to introduce you all to my colleague, Kamaal Thomas, a rising cybersecurity strategist at Goldman Sachs. 

Image 1: Kamaal is announced as a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship in Fontana, CA (2012)

With five years (and counting) of career experience, Kamaal has developed expertise in cybersecurity policy, strategy, and risk management. In 2012, he enrolled at the University of California–Davis (UCD) after being awarded the prestigious Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship. During his sophomore year, Kamaal got his start as an intern at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Washington DC. While initially interested in counterterrorism (a passion of mine too), he quickly found a liking for cybersecurity after speaking with the likes of DHS alum Chris DeRusha (current Federal CISO) and Davis Hake (Co-Founder of Resilience).

From there, he anticipated the growing need for U.S. practitioners to maintain a global perspective. So, he decided to study abroad at the University of Hong Kong on a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, where he researched US-China cyber confidence-building measures ahead of the Obama-Xi Summit in September 2015, where China agreed to refrain from conducting economic espionage on the U.S.

Image 2: Kamaal with the University of Hong Kong Men’s Basketball team in Taiwan (2015)

After a brief fellowship at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Kamaal went on to complete his senior year at UCD. Within nine months, he served as a student body senator, hosted a summit on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, led a student movement to stop hate crimes on Black students, helped launch a Black retention center, and completed a fellowship for the @Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 presidential election. To say the least, it was a busy year!

Image 3: Kamaal providing a keynote address at the UC Education Abroad Program event in Hong Kong (2015)

After graduating, Kamaal moved to Changchun, China as a State Department Critical Language Scholar. Then, he moved to Beijing for a year to study at Tsinghua University and work at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. In 2017, he returned to DC to work on a special project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He worked alongside Tim Maurer (now at DHS) where they developed a global strategy to prevent cyber threats that could destabilize the global system. After two years of engaging with policymakers around the world, conducting innovative policy research, and assisting developing countries strengthen cybersecurity regulation, he decided to transition to New York City.

Image 4: Kamaal and First Lady Michelle Obama at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington DC (2016)

In 2019, Kamaal joined Goldman Sachs and Eric Goldstein’s team (now Executive Assistant Director, CISA) to drive the development of the firm's cybersecurity strategy, policy, and regulatory engagement. He has worked under the leadership of three premier CISO’s including Andy Ozment, , and now Matthew Chung. Now he is aiming to help build out Goldman Sachs Asset Management's technology risk program. 

Image 5: Kamaal presenting on cyber deterrence at the Cyber Norms Conference in the Hague, NL (2018)

While his career has only begun (and please note that he's done far more than I had at his age!), I am excited to see the number of opportunities (and the accomplishments I expect!) coming his way in the near future. Kamaal, keep honing your technical skillset, driving risk reduction in alignment with business needs, and forging new relationships. In due time, some of us may even work for you one day. Wishing you the best on the beginning of a fantastic cybersecurity journey!

For more of Kamaal’s story, follow him on Twitter at @KamaalThomas and check out some of his videos/podcast:

– Find Your China Hong Kong

– Gilman Scholarship Speech at the U.S. Capitol

– Keynote Address at UC San Francisco

– State Department's 22.33 Podcast: Scenes from the Umbrella Revolution

#cybersecuritystrategist #ShareTheMicInCyber #blackprofessionals #cybersecurity  #cybersecuritystrategy #counterterrorism