SIM Spotlight: A CISO’s View on Risk, Trust, and What Comes Next

Jennifer Gold approaches cybersecurity less as a technical function and more as a discipline grounded in judgment, service, and long-term resilience. Her perspective reflects a career shaped by early curiosity, pressure-tested experience, and a consistent focus on translating risk into decision-ready guidance for senior leaders. What follows is a closer look at how she thinks about the work, the industry, and what lies ahead.

Early Influences

I have a vivid memory from elementary school of sitting at an Apple II in the library, working in Logo, trying to make my turtle draw a spiral while everyone else made squares and triangles. I kept asking to go back until I could figure it out. I'm still that person.
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At seven, my grandmother taught me to type so I could write letters to her brother, Jack, who had been a Master Sergeant in the Air Force during World War II. My first letter complained that she'd read everything I wrote, so he wrote back with a key and told me to swap out letters so she couldn't read it. It was my first experience with encryption, a substitution cipher. That moment opened up a new world for me. I ran to my sister and told her we could create our own language.
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I also grew up assuming everyone knew Morse code because my Dad and Grandmother had taught it to us, and my sister and I would talk on our walkie-talkies in Morse code for hours.
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I studied psychology in college but always felt most at home in the computer lab. I love solving problems in new ways and technology is a great medium for that. My security trajectory was formed following 9/11 and my experience that day. I felt called to use my skills in service of something larger than myself.

Formative Experience

I grew up in a family of service, with many members who served in the military and law enforcement. I learned foundational lessons from my family in self-reliance, the importance of relentless skill-building, and that one person can make all the difference.
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I have a longtime mentor who still makes to-do lists for me and has always taught me to raise the bar for myself. A dear friend and great leader taught me never to believe your own hype and to always remain humble.
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I've volunteered for five years with the USMC Cyber Auxiliary as a cybersecurity specialist. The Marines taught me how to make a decision and move.
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Volunteering with veterans has been equally formative. I've learned lessons in resilience, accountability, and to never underestimate the power of the human spirit.
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The core lessons I live by are to stay positive, stay grateful, never stop learning, and never stop moving forward.

How She Approaches Security

Beyond my title and technical responsibilities, my role focuses on securing assets and systems while translating technology risk into clear, decision-ready guidance for leaders. I work with executives and boards to align cybersecurity with strategy, investment priorities, and long-term resilience.
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The strategic impact of my work is helping organizations shift from reactive security to deliberate, risk-informed decision-making, ensuring security supports the business and enables innovation and growth. The way I approach security isn't constraining. It's the opposite.
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I can't point to a single pivotal moment. Nothing in my security experience is fixed. It's such a dynamic field. Security is a figure eight on its side. I'm perpetually experiencing pivotal moments as the field evolves. The key is learning and adapting as it shifts and challenging your assumptions along the way.

Working Style

I protect time to think. Early mornings are reserved for a run or a swim, coffee, and the work that requires deep thought. The coffee part is absolutely non-negotiable.
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I'm passionate about this field and driven by curiosity. I read widely, stay active in CISO and executive thought-leadership groups, and invest in ongoing education. This field evolves quickly, so I approach my work with a learning mindset.
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I learn through conversations with peers, attending conferences, and teaching as a TA at Harvard, which continues to challenge and sharpen my thinking. Community, engagement, and continuous learning drive my growth, both personally and professionally.

Leadership Approach

I believe in staying technically fluent and understanding exactly what I ask of my team. I lead shoulder to shoulder. Leadership shows up in your actions.
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My leadership has evolved with the times we’re living in. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world, and I see how it affects people. It matters more than ever to be a leader people can trust, believe in, and rely on to remain composed in moments of high pressure and crisis. I hold myself accountable to that standard.
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I prioritize people and relationships. I lead through service, ethics, rigor, and character, and I show up for my team every day.
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I’ve always believed that technology and security enable the success of the business. I’ve sharpened how I communicate that, and I help my teams build the same mindset. Too often, CISOs get lost in technical language and lose sight of business outcomes. That gap creates friction and slows progress. I work deliberately to bridge it and build teams that help organizations achieve their goals.

Building and Managing Teams

My approach to building high-performing teams starts with trust, psychological safety, and clarity. I follow the Radical Candor model. Care personally. Challenge directly.
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When people feel respected, they are more open to feedback, they own outcomes, and they work across boundaries. I recognize contributions publicly and give critical feedback privately.
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Collaboration across silos happens when people can openly share context and trust each other's intentions. Leaders set the tone through action, and I strive to model integrity, candor, and follow-through. I believe that teams thrive, make better decisions, and are more effective when leaders foster this kind of culture.

Perspective Gained Over Time

Trust your instincts. Choose iteration over perfection. Move forward with confidence.
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I am proud to have earned the Women's History Award in 2018 and the Presidential Call to Service Medal in 2023. Both recognize a commitment to service and the example I strive to set for my two sons.
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Teaching at Harvard is one of the accomplishments I am most proud of. I grew up in Massachusetts, and earning a place inside those gates is especially meaningful to me.
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Professionally, I have been fortunate to work with leaders who supported my initiatives and teams who delivered results. Highlights include my work at Lava Trading, leading early cloud modernization at The Carlyle Group, advancing early-warning threat intelligence and election security efforts, building capabilities at Risk Aperture, and supporting DARPA's Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative. I am grateful for those opportunities and proud of the work I have contributed to.

Industry Outlook

The pace of change in this industry continues to accelerate, driven in large part by the adoption of AI. What we are experiencing is both a technical evolution and a cultural one, and it calls for a change in how we operate.
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What stands out most to me is how work is being redistributed. AI is taking on more of the execution, while humans remain responsible for governance, judgment, and intent. That shift allows us to think and act more strategically.
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Detection, investigation, and response are already operating at a speed beyond human capacity. We need automation in order to stay ahead, particularly as adversaries use the same technologies against us.
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The risks are changing, and I foresee more holistic risk management models in the future. Cyber, physical, and cognitive risks are increasingly interconnected, which calls for more integrated models and shared accountability. Quantum is approaching faster than many anticipate and will reset long-held assumptions about trust and encryption.
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These changes bring both challenge and opportunity. I am excited by the opportunity. This is a consequential moment for technology that requires the creation of new operating models, stronger governance frameworks, and meaningful partnerships. SIM is a strong place to have these conversations and move the work forward together. My focus is on what comes next and on how we build it right.

Engagement with SIM

I was a speaker at two SIM NY events and immediately appreciated the sense of community and the quality of the conversations. SIM creates a forum where senior technology leaders learn from one another and share real experience. I am here to learn and to contribute. I believe we are all stronger when we share knowledge.
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I appreciate that SIM emphasizes giving back through mentoring and leadership programs. I would love to see and contribute to efforts that support local STEM initiatives, nonprofit engagement, and community programs for the next generation of leaders.
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I have volunteered to lead a cybersecurity pod to share challenges and ideas. I welcome others who want to get involved. I am especially interested in collaborating on events, programs, and thought leadership. I have also joined the Membership Committee. If you have ideas on how to make SIM more valuable for members, I would love to hear them.

Outside of Work

My first job was at MTV in the late 90s, providing tech support to advertising sales and later to productions including the VMAs. I randomly ended up on a show with Amy Poehler and Stephen Colbert before either of them were famous. The show lasted one season, but it was a great experience, and I got to film at Chelsea Piers.

I am as passionate about music and the arts as I am about science and technology, and I am a member of the National Arts Club.
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I am also unapologetically nerdy and collect comic books. I never outgrew my Wonder Woman aspirations. I just found a real-world way to live them through cybersecurity.

Closing Perspective

Across her career, Jennifer Gold has focused on translating complexity into clarity and risk into informed action. Her approach reflects a belief that security works best when paired with judgment, trust, and a clear understanding of what comes next. It is a perspective shaped by experience and one that continues to resonate as the industry evolves.