James Saunders

James Saunders is a cybersecurity expert who has dedicated his career to protecting the United States federal government's digital assets. He currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government's chief human resources agency and personnel policy manager. With over 17 years of experience, James has proven himself a versatile and adaptable leader. James embraces diversity and promoting a cohesive team culture, recognizing that creative problem-solving requires a flexible and adaptable mindset. James holds an extensive background involving, but not limited to, agile risk mitigation, security architecture, cross-functional technical leadership, regulatory compliance, Cloud integrations, and the art of developing high-performing/inclusive team environments that are as positive as they are productive. Academically, James holds a B.ASc. in Information Technology and an M.Sc. in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus and attained various Cybersecurity, Cloud, and Agile certifications such as CISSP, CISSP-ISSAP, PMP, and PMI-ACP.