Melissa Bischoping

Melissa's career reflects a nontraditional path into cybersecurity, shaped by experience across industries and disciplines. She began in IT and operational roles before moving into security engineering and program development. At Tanium, she built and led threat research and vulnerability intelligence teams, analyzing adversary behavior, tracking zero-day risk, and delivering actionable intelligence through initiatives such as the Tanium Guardian framework. 

Today, as Director of Secure Operations and Enablement at Siemens Digital Industries Software, she drives and executes industry best practices to enable and optimize threat detection and reduce time to respond and contain. She strategically leads collaboration with cross-functional teams in detection, automation, DevOps, site reliability engineering, and product. The arc from frontline research to the enterprise level decision making runs through LDR514, where students learn to connect strategy, policy, and leadership decisions to the threats and priorities their organizations actually face.

Melissa holds a Master of Science in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute, along with Bachelor of Science degrees in Information Technology and Psychology. She maintains 12 active GIAC certifications, reflecting expertise across threat intelligence, incident response, forensics, and leadership. Beyond her technical work, she serves on the Board of Directors for the SANS Technology Institute and frequently contributes to industry publications and media outlets, providing expert analysis on vulnerability intelligence, ransomware activity, and emerging threats.

Melissa's teaching focuses on the human side of security: how people behave, decide, and respond under pressure. Drawing on her academic background in psychology and her own nontraditional path into the field, she emphasizes clarity, communication, and practical application over jargon. By the end of the course, students are equipped to build strategy, influence stakeholders, and lead confidently when the threat is moving and the information is incomplete. Outside of work, she stays close to the community through speaking, writing, and mentoring the next generation of defenders.

Qualifications Summary

• Roles and Affiliations: Director of Secure Operations and Enablement, Siemens; Instructor Candidate, SANS Institute; Board Member, SANS Technology Institute
• Credentials:
• Master of Science in Information Security Engineering;
• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology;
• Bachelor of Science in Psychology;
• GIAC Security Professional (GSP);
• GIAC Experienced Forensics Examiner (GX-FE);
• GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence (GCTI);
• GIAC Experienced Forensic Analyst (GX-FA);
• GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA);
• GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFE);
• GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA);
• GIAC Defensible Security Architecture (GDSA);
• GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT);
• GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH);
• GIAC Certified Project Manager (GCPM);
• GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)
• Key Achievements: Built and led threat intelligence and vulnerability research teams; developed Tanium Guardian framework for rapid vulnerability response; leads enterprise security operations and enablement at global scale
• Publications and Tools: Contributor to vulnerability intelligence and threat research publications; developer of operational threat response frameworks
• Course: LDR514: Strategic Planning, Policy & Leadership
• Community Roles: Industry speaker and media contributor; SANS Technology Institute Board Member