Open to opportunities

Kurt Schmidt

@kurtschmidt

Message

Cybersecurity executive driving risk-aligned cloud, IAM, and compliance strategy.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek senior cybersecurity leadership roles where I can modernize security, align risk with business strategy, mentor teams, and drive compliance and cloud/IAM transformation in growth-oriented organizations.

I am a cybersecurity and IT executive with extensive experience leading teams and programs across CISO, director, and IT leadership roles, focused on aligning cyber risk to business priorities. I pair technical depth in cloud, IAM, and security architecture with executive-level communication to influence board and stakeholder decisions.

My leadership emphasizes modernization, accountability, and culture—driving programs that turn compliance into competitive advantage and enable organizational growth. I have led StateRAMP and NIST 800-53–aligned modernization, enterprise identity rebuilds, and large-scale migrations.

I have built technology foundations from scratch in startups and redesigned enterprise identity and security ecosystems at scale, delivering measurable improvements in monitoring, detection, and resilience. Selected projects include continuous compliance frameworks, a nationwide Office 365 migration for 20k users, and a full e-commerce and IT infrastructure build-out.

I hold a broad set of certifications (CISSP, CISM, CRISC, ISSMP, CIAM) and technical credentials across AWS, Azure, Fortinet, and multiple security toolsets, and I focus on mentoring teams and embedding security as a strategic enabler of trust and long-term value.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Chief Information Security Officer

Current

Atser Systems Inc.

Jan 2024 - Present (1 year 11 months)

Lead cybersecurity and compliance initiatives to modernize security architecture and improve audit readiness against StateRAMP and NIST 800-53, positioning compliance as a driver of trust and growth.

Security Governance STATERAMP NIST 800 53 Cloud Security Risk Management Compliance Security Architecture

Director of Cybersecurity

Lonestar Electric Supply

Jan 2023 - Jan 2024 (1 year)

Provided strategic and hands-on leadership to advance cybersecurity maturity, improve threat visibility and detection, and align security controls with business objectives.

Security Operations Threat Detection Security Architecture Risk Assessment Incident Response Governance Vendor Selection

IT Director

ALL ARK LLC

Jan 2020 - Jan 2023 (3 years)

Built the company’s entire IT and security foundation from scratch, delivering cloud, network, e-commerce, and operational processes to enable scale and secure customer operations.

IT Infrastructure Cloud Architecture Cybersecurity Disaster Recovery Change Management Network Security System Integration

Enterprise Architect

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Jan 2019 - Jan 2020 (1 year)

Led design and implementation of a Zero Trust identity and security ecosystem, redefining identity lifecycles, access models, and governance to mitigate advanced threats.

Enterprise Architecture IAM Identity Governance Access Management Security Strategy Technical Leadership Risk Mitigation

Manager, Enterprise Services

McKesson

Jan 2011 - Jan 2018 (7 years)

Led enterprise IT services to improve operational reliability and service delivery, guided large-scale initiatives, and managed incident response and cross-functional stakeholder alignment.

IT Service Management Incident Response Stakeholder Management Service Delivery Reliability Team Leadership IT Operations

Enterprise IAM Architect

Chevron

Assessed and redesigned Chevron’s Active Directory and identity ecosystem, delivering architectural blueprints, access models, and integration guidance for modernization.

Active Directory IAM Integration Documentation Standards