Payton is the cybersecurity expert that organizations turn to for discreet help during data breaches and to improve IT systems and strategies. She made history as the first female to serve as White House Chief Information Officer and currently helps organizations in both the public and private sectors protect their most valuable resources.

Managing cybersecurity risk is what Payton knows and does best. Before overseeing IT operations as CIO for President George W. Bush and his administration, she held executive roles in banking technology for two of the country’s top financial institutions. After serving in the White House, she went on to co-found Dark3, a cybersecurity product company, and Fortalice Solutions, a world-class cybersecurity consulting firm ranked a Top 5 Most Innovative Cybersecurity Company in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Named one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Security by Security Magazine, Payton was also featured in the book 100 Fascinating Women Fighting Cybercrime and honored as the 2019 Woman Cybersecurity Leader of the Year. Business Insider named her one of the top 50 Cybersecurity Leaders of 2020, CISO Magazine named her Cybersecurity Crusader of the Year in 2020, and Awards Magazine named her one of the Top 50 Women in Tech in 2021. She is the author of several publications on IT strategy and cybersecurity, including Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth, released in 2020. Cyber Security Experts named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in Cyber Security in 2021.