Shannon Zoch

A Cybersecurity career is not a destination to achieve, but a journey to experience. My journey began with following my curiosity via a dial-up modem in my high school library, where I explored bulletin boards around the world. That curiosity led me to a 28-year adventure in the U.S. Navy, where the stakes quickly grew from digital exploration to national defense. My classroom was the real world—I went from managing security protocols across 90 different ships to orchestrating Red Team assessments that exposed critical weaknesses in our nation’s most critical networks. I learned that resilience isn’t theoretical; I executed disaster response plans and maintained information accountability in the wake of a catastrophic shipboard fire. I leveraged that battle-tested experience to join General Atomics, where I currently serve as a Senior Cybersecurity Architect. Instead of ships, I now focus on the sky, developing robust cybersecurity solutions for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to ensure our systems are as secure as they are capable. But knowledge is useless if it isn’t shared. At CIAT, I founded a cybersecurity club that has impacted more than 300 students. I’ve had the privilege of taking students who were total beginners and coaching them into a competitive Capture the Flag team. This journey has left me with a lifetime of experience, but as technology is forever evolving, there is always another bulletin board to explore.

I believe in keeping both the mind and body in motion. On the mental side, I hold a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Systems Engineering, which fueled my curiosity and contributed to my passion for mentoring robotics clubs and coaching Cyber CTF teams. When I disconnect, I trade the keyboard for the outdoors—whether it’s swimming, biking, hiking, or getting competitive on the pickleball court.