Will Gibbs

What do you work on here?

I lead a team of cybersecurity professionals responsible for special program cyber risk management and cybersecurity assurance. Currently, my team and I are working to continue improving our information security posture — working on improvements in our ability to meet future security needs of the Laboratory. We are also striving to develop strong partnerships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally. 

Why do you think the Laboratory is a good fit for you? 

The Laboratory is a good fit for me for a couple of reasons. First, I am a huge science fiction geek! Some of the initiatives the Laboratory is working on are very exciting to me. Second, when I was in Army Intelligence, I relied on technology that was researched and developed here at the Laboratory. In many ways, the technology enabled us to either save lives (including my own) or to locate bad guys and degrade their ability to do harm. It only makes sense that I would end up working here to do my part ensuring the Laboratory’s continued success in this arena.

What are some of your goals? 

My future goals are to make significant improvements in talent acquisition and retention. Cybersecurity personnel are in high demand and the Laboratory is competing against some of the best companies in the industry to hire them. When we have a good candidate, we have to make it worth their while to come in the door and want to stay. 

It is also my goal to cast a wider net when it comes to reaching diversity and inclusion goals. There are some untapped talented people out there who face tremendous challenges and obstacles that prevent them from being seen and hired — I intend to use my position to find them and bring them into the fold. I grew up in the projects in Queens, New York, during the 1980s, and I know the challenges those with a similar background face. We are working on an initiative to build our talent pool internally by hiring more junior people and developing them outside of special programs. Once they build experience and their capabilities, we will transition them into special programs.