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Russell Eubanks

Principal InstructorManaging Partner at Cyverity

Specialities

Cybersecurity Leadership

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Russell Eubanks

About Russell Eubanks

Russell Eubanks teaches cybersecurity leadership from the place where clarity matters most: when a team knows it has gaps but needs help deciding what to fix first. A SANS Principal Instructor, Assistant Professor at the SANS Technology Institute, and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Cyverity, Russell teaches LDR519: Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) and has taught LDR514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership, SEC566: Implementing and Auditing CIS Controls, and LDR521: Security Culture for Leaders. He is also the author of SEC405: Business Finance Essentials. His experience as a former CIO and CISO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta helps students connect security strategy, culture, controls, and finance to decisions leaders must explain to boards, executives, and teams.

Russell’s path into cybersecurity did not begin in an executive office. He started as a factory worker, used his employer’s tuition reimbursement program to attend computer classes, and moved into security as Y2K created urgent demand for technical talent. Since then, he has built security programs, led cybersecurity teams, advised CISOs, and assessed organizations across industries. At Cyverity, his work focuses on maturity assessments that give leaders a clear view of their posture and a prioritized roadmap for improvement. He draws on that experience while teaching the labs, helping students connect Cyber42 simulations, business case development, budgets, and executive communication to the decisions they face at work.

Russell holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is a Certified Information Security Manager, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and holds ten GIAC certifications. Russell Eubanks is also a faculty member of the SANS Technology Institute, which has been designated an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. He has contributed to the profession as an IANS Faculty member and former SANS Internet Storm Center handler.

Russell teaches with the conviction that students are not passive recipients of material. They bring experience that can sharpen the room. His goal is for students to leave his classroom able to prioritize security work, make stronger business cases, communicate risk in a language leaders understand, and help people grow into better security professionals. The human throughline is hard to miss; he wants mentees to have the advantages he wished he had seen sooner. Away from work, Russell studies leadership, spends time with his wife, son, and daughter, smokes pork on his Big Green Egg, disconnects from screens when he can, and has run five marathons.

Qualifications Summary
  • Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga;
  • Professional Credentials: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) & Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • GIAC Certifications: GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT); GIAC Certified Enterprise Defender (GCED); GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH); GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA); GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN); GIAC Certified Project Manager (GCPM); GIAC Critical Controls Certification (GCCC); GIAC Information Security Professional (GISP); GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC); GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT)
  • Key Achievements: Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Cyverity; Founder of Security Ever After; former CIO and CISO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; previously served in security leadership roles at Cox Communications, Priority Payment Systems, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
  • Courses: Instructor for LDR519: Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), author of SEC405: Business Finance Essentials; has taught LDR514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership, and SEC566: Implementing and Auditing CIS Controls. Co-authored and taught LDR521: Security Culture for Leaders
  • Community Contributions: IANS Faculty member; former SANS Internet Storm Center handler; advisor to CISOs and emerging leaders

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