Federal 100: Kimberly K. Watson

Kimberly K. Watson
Technical Leader of the Vulnerability Analysis and Operations Group
Information Assurance Directorate
National Security Agency

It’s not easy for someone to stand out at the super-smart NSA, but Kimberly Watson manages to do it — and, in the process, makes good cybersecurity practices a realistic goal for agencies.

Last year, she collaborated with the State Department, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Homeland Security Department to create a framework for making decisions about risk that integrates reporting on compliance mandates, validation of security controls and continuous-monitoring risk-scoring programs. The approach will facilitate governmentwide adoption of a comprehensive risk management tool.

She also developed a scoring tool for security mandates and metrics for critical security controls. Watson’s efforts are redefining how agencies secure their systems and enhancing the effectiveness of their security spending.

Read more about the 2011 Federal 100 award winners.