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CyberWire Daily

Kayla Williams: Not everything related to cybersecurity is a fire drill. [CISO] [Career Notes]

CyberWire Daily

N2K Networks, Inc.

News, Daily News, Tech News, Technology

4.81.1K Ratings

🗓️ 3 May 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Kayla Williams, CISO of Devo, sits down to share her story, from graduating with a finance degree to rising to where she is now. She quickly learned that finance was not for her and changed paths, working towards gaining an information security certificate. From there she was able to excel and was offered the opportunity to move to England which changed her life. Working in her new role, she really enjoys thriving with her team. She says "We really try to be the department of no problem versus the department of no." She mentions how her and her team work on a day to day basis together solving issues and yet she says not everything related to cybersecurity needs to be a fire drill. She would rather her and her team build bridges in the face of adversity and in the face of people who may be naysayers. We thank Kayla for sharing her story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to the Cyberwire Network, powered by N2K.

0:11.3

And now a word from our sponsor, the Center for Cyber Health and Hazard Strategies, also known as CHS.

0:19.1

Looking for a graduate degree that will give you an edge on your professional career?

0:23.5

Earn a Master of Science in Law at University of Maryland Carey School of Law.

0:28.7

This part-time two-year online graduate degree program is designed for experienced professionals

0:34.6

to understand laws and policies that impact your industry.

0:38.8

Learn from CHS faculty who are experts in their field.

0:43.0

No GRE required.

0:44.9

Learn how you can master the law without a JD at law.

0:48.7

U.Marland.edu.

1:02.0

My My name is Kayla Williams and I am a chief information security officer.

1:15.0

When I was a child, I had wanted to be an archaeologist or paleontologist.

1:19.8

I grew up in the time of Jurassic Park and the land before time.

1:29.3

It was absolutely fascinated by dinosaurs and just everything that was going on back millions of years ago.

1:47.3

However, as I began to grow up, I realized that I did not have the patience for all the education that was going to be required to go through an archaeological or paleontological course.

1:53.2

So I shifted, focus, and wanted to become a lawyer or an accountant.

1:59.8

During college, I was really determined to become a chief financial officer.

2:04.5

My uncle had been a real estate attorney and had told me about his experiences with accountants and how my skill set would really shine in that type of a

2:11.7

situation. So I graduated with a degree in accounting far from what I wanted to do when I was a child.

2:23.5

I began an internship working in a auditing firm in Massachusetts that was auditing municipalities

2:32.7

in banks. And after graduation, while I started and worked through my master's degree,

2:39.0

I continued at a different firm doing the same thing.

...

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