Biography

A technology professional with expertise in cybersecurity, Luis Valdes is the Assistant Director of Technology & Cybersecurity for Cyber Florida, The Florida Center for Cybersecurity. Throughout his career Luis has worked in various security roles including as an incident responder, insider threat analyst, and a cyber intelligence analyst. Currently he is responsible for evangelizing, architecting, designing, and driving key technology and security initiatives for Cyber Florida. As the technical thought leader for the center, Luis routinely interacts with state and national entities including the State University System (SUS), assisting them in collectively fulfilling the security needs of their respective organizations. Additionally by interfacing directly with industry leaders, Luis assists organizations in envisioning and rolling out new security initiatives. Coaching and educating them on current regulatory and industry standards and frameworks, he drives such projects from inception to completion.

He and his team directly support the Center’s mission to make Florida a national leader in cybersecurity through education, workforce development, interdisciplinary research, and community outreach. During his tenure, the Center has achieved a variety of accomplishments including the Florida CyberHub, a cybersecurity virtual environment hosting over 600 students from eight Florida university institutions; cyber focused training programs and workshops such as the Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst program, and Project: CHAOS, a situational based cyber threat activity for industry leaders. Luis’ experience and accomplishments are a valuable contribution to Cyber Florida's priorities and the cybersecurity field.