Virginia’s cybersecurity bench is shaped by a rare mix of public-sector responsibility, higher education, defense adjacency, and workforce development. The state is home to leaders protecting research institutions, law enforcement systems, cloud-heavy enterprise environments, and the broader talent pipeline that will define the next generation of cyber resilience. The women featured here reflect that range. Some are leading formal enterprise security programs, while others are helping shape how cybersecurity is practiced, taught, and scaled across the state.
Kate Rhodes — Chief Information Security Officer, Old Dominion University
Kate Rhodes is one of the most notable cybersecurity leaders in Virginia higher education. Old Dominion University announced her as CISO in September 2024 and described her as the university’s first woman in the role. ODU also highlighted her background across the military, NASA-related work, and higher education, as well as her role in helping protect the university’s expanding digital footprint as an R1 research institution. That combination of mission focus, technical depth, and institutional leadership makes her a strong inclusion in any Virginia feature.
Stephanie Williams-Hayes — Chief Information Security Officer, Virginia State Police
Stephanie Williams-Hayes is one of the clearest current CISO picks in the state. Public sources identify her as Chief Information Security Officer at the Virginia State Police, and recent government and event materials continue to place her in that role. Her background spans public-sector security, audit, governance, and university technology leadership, including prior roles within the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia State University. She stands out for bringing both operational and governance experience into a law-enforcement environment where resilience, awareness, and risk management all matter.
Kimberly Fields — Director, Cloud Risk and Compliance, RTX
Kimberly Fields fits this list best under a broader “cybersecurity leaders” framing rather than a strict CISO-only one. Public profile sources place her in Virginia Beach and identify her current role at RTX as Director, Cloud Risk and Compliance. Her background across RTX, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, Anthem, and Nike points to deep experience in cloud security, DevSecOps, automation, and enterprise transformation. That makes her a credible Virginia-based cyber leader, especially in a state where defense, large-enterprise modernization, and cloud security continue to overlap.
Jessica Gulick — Founder and Board Chair, Cyber Esports Foundation
Jessica Gulick is not a traditional enterprise CISO, but she is unquestionably one of Virginia’s most influential cybersecurity ecosystem builders. She is closely tied to programs like the US Cyber Games and the Cyber Esports Foundation, and Virginia Tech has profiled her as a leader helping redefine cybersecurity as a team-based discipline and talent pipeline challenge. Recent event and advisory-board materials also continue to position her at the center of cyber workforce development and competition-based learning. For a broader “female cybersecurity leaders” feature, she brings a different but highly relevant dimension: growing the community, talent, and visibility that the field depends on.
Why Virginia keeps producing important cyber leaders
Virginia’s strength in cybersecurity is not limited to one sector. The state’s leadership base stretches from universities and public safety agencies to cloud and defense-linked enterprise environments, and it also includes people building the future workforce itself. That is what makes Virginia especially interesting. Its women cyber leaders are not all following one path. Some are defending complex institutions, some are modernizing risk and compliance in large organizations, and some are creating entirely new ways to cultivate cyber talent. Together, they show why Virginia continues to matter as both an operating hub and a leadership pipeline for cybersecurity.
Explore more profiles in CISO Whisperer’s Women’s Month series.