Michele Guel

Michele D. Guel joined Cisco in 1996 as the founding member of Cisco’s internal security team, and in 2010, she was promoted to Distinguished Engineer, one of 8 women in that role across the company. She recently co-founded the Cisco Women in Cybersecurity Community, which focuses on developing the next generation of women cybersecurity leaders. Michele is also an avid participant, speaker, teacher, influencer and evangelist in the cybersecurity industry for nearly 30 years.

Michele’s passion is to inspire, lead and mentor people. Prior to joining Cisco, Michele spent 11 years at NASA Ames Research Center – initially as a programmer, then as a system administrator and software support specialist, and finally as an information and network security professional. In her last role at NASA Ames, she formulated, founded and headed the information security program for the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) Facility in 1989.

Michele’s most recent work focuses on developing and codifying the practice and art of Information Security Engineering & Architecture, with an emphasis on cloud and the Internet of Things. Her motto is all about “building it in and not bolting it on”.

“My passion is to develop and build the next generation of cyber security professionals through innovative, relevant and collaborative training and mentoring. Tribal knowledge must end and information and expertise must be shared and codified if we, as an industry, are to outpace the well-connected and highly-skilled cyber underground”, she says. “The threat landscape changes daily and cyber security professionals must be willing to partner, constantly learn and stay engaged.”

Michele has B.A., in mathematics with a minor in cybernetic systems and is currently working on a master’s in software engineering with a concentration in cybersecurity. She has also completed a two-year program in biblical studies. Michelle was awarded the 2015 Anita Borg Institute ABIE Award for Leadership which recognizes a technical woman who led an important technology development or innovation, made a significant contribution to the technology industry and inspired others with her work.