Dr. Cheryl Cooper helps managing partners and executive leaders protect what matters most: client trust, firm reputation, and revenue. A Cyber Resilience and GRC Strategist, Fractional CISO for managing partners and law firms, TEDx Speaker, author, and United States Navy Veteran, she is known for translating complex cyber risk into clear, defensible leadership decisions, without fear tactics or technical jargon.

With more than two decades of experience across Fortune 100 enterprises, the U.S. Navy, and executive security leadership, Dr. Cooper has advised organizations where cyber incidents carry legal, financial, and reputational consequences. Her background includes serving as a Business Information Security Officer supporting Legal, HR, and Finance functions, giving her a rare, leadership-level perspective at the intersection of governance, liability, and operational resilience.

Dr. Cooper is a higher education cybersecurity adjunct professor and President of the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) Kansas City Metroplex Affiliate, part of a global organization advancing cybersecurity leadership across industry, government, and academia. She is also the creator of the Cyber Resilience Compass™, a plain-language framework that helps leaders understand what puts their organizations at risk, what matters most right now, and which decisions leadership, not IT, must own. A core part of her work includes short executive engagements that clarify risk priorities, decision ownership, and next steps long before a crisis forces the conversation. Her keynote presentations combine executive storytelling with practical guidance, helping audiences recognize how human behavior, trust, and urgency are exploited long before technology fails.