I am Abdeslam Mazouz. I am originally from Morocco. I moved to the United States in 2010. I pursued a degree in network security because of passion about computer and technology in general. At first it was challenging to balance school, work, and a new family. However, I graduated with a high GPA (3.85) and was offered my first job prior to graduation. Throughout the years, I improved my skills and expertise with each opportunity. I pursued a master’s degree in Information Assurance and Security from Capella University. Their program has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). After moving up through several roles in Information Security, I was appointed the Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Minneapolis. This was just a few months before the death of George Floyd and the civil unrest that unfolded after. Little did I know that I would be tasked with the defending the City of Minneapolis against the hacktivist group Anonymous during the weeks following the George Floyd incident. These days, I continue to build and transform the City’s information security programs to be a resilient organization against new threats, work with City leaders to reduce risk, and enable business processes in a secure, streamlined, and easy way. I am passionate about building information security programs and improving existing programs. I enjoy challenging projects in information security and look for the opportunity to use my expertise to help other organizations and contribute to the security community.