Name: Ron Ross
Title: Computer Scientist, Fellow
Agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Master of risk management. Ross is the mastermind behind the newest version of the Risk Management Framework. It inextricably links privacy and cybersecurity into one overarching imperative for agencies. “Everyone understands today that personal privacy is becoming so important because our digital footprint is so large,” he said. The framework recasts cybersecurity as an organizationwide responsibility and specifies that C-suite executives be involved in risk management strategies from the beginning. His colleagues say Ross played an essential role in helping to create a strategic approach to risk management and taking NIST’s cybersecurity guidance to the next level.