John leads Heartland’s internal risk assessment programs which include protecting sensitive data through risk and threat modeling. John also ensures Heartland is compliant with internal, industry and regulatory requirements. He is Heartland’s liaison with security professionals in the Financial Services Information Security and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and is a member of the Payments Processing Information Sharing Council (PPISC). John has also been selected for the 2012 class of the ComputerWorld Premier 100 IT Leaders. 

Prior to joining Heartland in September 2009, John held leadership roles in information security for Convergys (Intervoice) and Alcatel-Lucent. He spent several years in Belgium and Paris leading Alcatel’s European information security operations.

John is an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas where he teaches digital forensics. With Dr. John Nugent, he co-founded the university’s Information Assurance Program — which focuses on corporate security and risk management. The program has been designated a National Security Agency Center of Excellence since it began in 2002.

John has been an active member of the US Secret Service North Texas Electronic Crimes Task Force since its inception in 2003. In addition, he is the founding president of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s North Texas Infragard Program. John is also a member of the High Technology Crime Investigators Association (TCIA), the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

John is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Auditor (CISA) and Certified Payment Card Industry Security Auditor (CPISA/M) and is certified as an Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Service Manager.

Educational Background
Bachelor of Arts, History, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Masters of Business Administration, University of Dallas, Dallas, TX

John resides in Plano, TX with his wife, Mary.