Dr. Dwayne Hodges, U.S. Army (ret.)

Dr. Dwayne Hodges, a technology and cybersecurity executive and academic
leader, boasts over three decades of diverse experience in enterprise information
technology, network architecture, cybersecurity operations, cloud security, and
higher education. His career began in 1995 as an enlisted Soldier in the U.S. Army
military police corps. After nearly eight years, he was commissioned as a 2LT SC
Corps Light Tropospheric tactical communications officer. Over the subsequent
three decades, he held progressively senior technology and cybersecurity roles
while serving in the military, industry, and academia. This unique
progression—from military police to communications and electronics officer, to
commanding troops in a line unit, from US Paratrooper, to industry advisor—has
equipped him with a rare blend of technical expertise and strategic leadership
experience that profoundly influences his work.

MILITARY SERVICE & TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP

During his military career, Dr. Hodges served in a broad range of information
technology and cybersecurity roles across the U.S. Army, including Signal Officer,
Communications and Electronics Officer, Tactical IT Officer, WIN-T (Warfighter
Information Network–Tactical) Officer, Army Network Manager, Network
Defense Team Chief, Information Security Officer, Information Assurance Officer,
Army Technology Program Manager, and Army Distance Learning Program

Manager. In these roles he planned and operated enterprise-scale military
networks, led defensive cyber operations teams, managed large-scale IT program
lifecycles, and served as Delegating Authorization to Operate (ATO) approval
authority for sensitive information systems. He also designed and administered
distributed learning technology systems across geographically dispersed
installations — a formative experience that directly shaped his approach to online
education leadership today.

Dr. Hodges is an Army Combat Veteran, U.S. Paratrooper, U.S. Pathfinder,
deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom,
coordinating technology and communications missions across joint and coalition
environments and Served as Senior Air and Ground Operations Planner in OIF,
coordinating classified missions for the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and
Congressional delegations

He is a graduate of the U.S. Army School of Information Technology and the U.S.
Army Command and General Staff College and a recipient of the Secretary of
Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Dr. Hodges is a credentialed technology and cybersecurity practitioner with hands-
on expertise across the full cybersecurity and IT stack. His technical background
includes cloud security architecture across Amazon Web Services (AWS) and
Microsoft Azure, enterprise network design and defense, Secure Access Service
Edge (SASE) architecture, identity and access management, penetration testing and
ethical hacking, cryptography, and enterprise risk management. He holds active
DoD Top Secret clearance with CI Poly and brings direct experience implementing
and assessing cybersecurity compliance programs aligned with NIST SP 800-171,
CMMC, FedRAMP, DFARS, HIPAA, and ISO frameworks.

His credential portfolio — CISSP, C|CISO, CEH, CNDA, CCA, CCP, CMMC
LCCA, Security+, ITIL, and CHP — reflects sustained, demonstrated competency
across security engineering, security leadership, ethical hacking, network defense,
and compliance. As a Lead Certified CMMC Assessor (LCCA), he works directly
with Defense Industrial Base organizations to assess cybersecurity program

maturity and guide organizations through federal certification requirements. He
also serves as a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) and Senior
Director of CMMC Engagements, providing executive-level cybersecurity
advisory services to organizations operating in and adjacent to the defense supply
chain.

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP & HIGHER EDUCATION

Dr. Hodges currently serves at Wake Forest University School of Professional
Studies as the Inaugural Academic Director of the Master’s in Information
Technology Leadership program and as a Professor of the Practice in
Cybersecurity Leadership. In this role he leads curriculum architecture, course
development, faculty alignment, and industry partnerships for a graduate program
designed to prepare working technology professionals to lead in complex digital
environments. The program integrates cloud computing, enterprise architecture,
data management, cybersecurity governance, and digital transformation across a
practitioner-driven curriculum.

With more than twenty years in higher education, Dr. Hodges has taught
cybersecurity, information systems, cryptography, and technology management at
the undergraduate, MBA, and graduate levels at multiple universities, in both in-
person and online formats, and is a CISSP and Security + instructor, haven taught
globally across the US and UK in person and online. He contributed to the national
Cybersecurity Curricula Guidelines for Post-Secondary Degree Programs in
Cybersecurity, served as Technical Editor for the CISSP Exam Cram, and is a
TEDx speaker and inductee into the CEH Cybersecurity Hall of Fame.

ADVISORY BOARDS & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Dr. Hodges serves on several advisory boards and contributes to ND-ISAC
working groups in DoD Assessment, Cybersecurity Policy, Cloud Security and
Architecture, Cyber Analysis, and Artificial Intelligence. He holds active
memberships in NDIA, AFCEA, IEEE, ISACA, and ISC².