Maria-Kristina is an internationally recognized expert in cyber hygiene and resiliency. Her mission is to raise global levels of cyber-risk awareness and enable organizations (and individuals) to take control back from cybercriminals. She has delivered security awareness presentations and attack simulations to over 15,000 people worldwide, and is a frequent media commentator for the likes of Bloomberg, Forbes, HuffPost and Yahoo!. Maria-Kristina also educates on cyber hygiene through YouTube and social media. She was the 2022 recipient of the “Security Leader of the Year” award by Women in Technology Excellence. She is CEO & founder of OUTFOXM INC, the world’s first boutique consulting firm focused on immersive cyberattack simulations and human-cyber risk awareness. Maria-Kristina’s experience prior to OUTFOXM spans both public and private sectors. Most recently, she spent six years at the Bank of New York Mellon, as Director and Global Head of Cyber Wargames and Awareness, and Vice President of Cyber Intelligence. Prior to that, she served as a Top-Secret cleared Intelligence Officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington D.C., Colombia and Peru, supported the U.S. military as an Air Force civilian at the Pentagon, analyzed cyber legislation at Booz Allen Hamilton, and conducted Congressional research in the U.S. House of Representatives. She holds an M.S. in Cyber Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and a B.S. Security Studies from Georgetown. She also holds the CISM certification (Certified Information Security Manager) from ISACA, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.