Alissa Valentina Knight

Alissa Knight has over twelve years of leadership experience in information assurance; defining the company's technology strategy while working closely with the senior executive committee and Board of Directors to drive innovation across business units.

As an evangelist for the blue ocean strategy of the different technologies she has helped bring to market, Knight pushes companies to stretch beyond their current limitations; not just in technology, but also in strategy, partnerships, and new business models.

In her numerous leadership roles, Knight has set the vision and strategy for the company, as well as led the security engineering and operations organizations to execute on the division's strategic priorities. Knight focuses on providing visible leadership for the companies she works for in the information security community, anticipating and reacting to technology shifts to ensure the maintenance of the company's leadership in the competitive landscape, and leading operational risk management activities to enhance the value of the company and its brand.

Prior to her current role, Knight raised $40 MM in private equity funding, purchased companies in M&A transactions, and started a private equity fund as the fund manager at Riverwalk Capital. Additionally, Knight served as the CEO of Applied Watch Technologies and Netstream; companies she sold in M&A transactions to public companies in emerging international markets for more than $8 Million. Knight brings over twelve years of experience in cyber warfare from startups to multinational corporations, the U.S. Intelligence Community, and companies in U.S. Critical Infrastructure. Among her numerous career highlights, Knight designed an intrusion detection management framework for the U.S. Air Force Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMO), and later went to work for the U.S. Intelligence Community in cyber warfare intelligence operations.

Knight is also the former CEO and President of Brier & Thorn, a defense contracting company that provides counterinsurgency and intelligence operations support to the US Intelligence Community and Unified Commands across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. She is trained in tactical combat operations, close quarter combat, and hostage rescue operations. Among her other roles, Knight also serves on a broad range of committees and boards, including the Committee on Asymmetric Warfare and WHS, the National Defense University's C