Kirk Lawrence has spent over 15 years at the Department of Homeland Security asking one big question: How do we build cybersecurity systems that don’t just react, but hold up under pressure? As the Program Manager for CISA’s award-winning Secure by Design initiative, Kirk works at the intersection of policy, technology, and human behavior— turning bold ideas into operational programs that stick. Along the way, he’s built cybersecurity programs from the ground up, helped reshape vulnerability management at scale, and found ways to make federal procurement just a little less soul-crushing. Known for his strategic instincts and unflappable calm, Kirk brings humor, humility, and the sort of patience that comes from years of coaching youth girls’ softball teams that are mostly there just for the snacks.

When he’s not navigating the cyber wilds, Kirk lives in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife, two daughters (#girldad), and an opinionated English setter named Tanner who thinks he runs the place—when he’s not napping.