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Jess Parnell
Additional Info
| Job title of nominated professional (or team name) | Chief Information Security Officer |
| Company (where nominated professional or team is working) | Centripetal |
| Website | https://www.centripetal.ai/ |
| Company size (employees) | 100 to 499 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters Region | North America |
Overview
Jess Parnell, the dedicated CISO at Centripetal, is a staunch advocate for security. Stepping into his role as CISO, Jess has been instrumental in advancing Centripetal’s mission to make intelligence-powered cybersecurity the strongest defense against cybercrime. With a rich and varied career, Jess has gained experience across multiple industries and roles. Beginning in 1990 as a Military Police Officer in the United States Army, Jess served for eight years before becoming the President of Titan Technologies, Corp. in 1999, a position held for over a decade.
In 2010, Jess brought his expertise to the US Navy’s EOD Technology Division as a Senior Technical Manager and Information Management Officer. Managing a team of 16 staff members, Jess played a key role in meeting compliance requirements and enhancing productivity and team morale. During this time he deployed to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan in support of the Combined Joint Task Force Troy’s Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell (CEXC).
Transitioning to the Department of Health and Human Services in 2013 as a Security Operations Center Manager, Jess created the Incident Analysis Investigative Team, recognized for its exceptional detection and mitigation efforts in high-profile incidents. During this time as SOC Manager, he and his staff successfully protected the initial rollout of Healthcare.gov from cyber attacks. Jess also frequently briefed department executives on cybersecurity operations, earning the Employee of the Quarter award for their outstanding contributions.
Joining Centripetal in 2015 as the Director of Security Operations, Jess’s commitment and expertise led to his promotion to CISO in 2023.
Accomplishments
Jess has spent his career on the frontline of security, working across multiple organizations tasked with defending large corporations, or pieces of key national or military infrastructure. In his capacity as CISO at Centripetal, Jess has been an advocate for the industry, not only helping to manage Centripetal’s own dynamic product, but also helping to foster the next generation of technology talent: Since 2019, Jess has been the Boards Vice-Chairman and a student mentor at the Gwinnett Technical College, helping students enrolled there to begin their Cyber Security program to be future cyber leaders and enter the marketplace.
Additionally, he has undertaken similar sessions at the University of Galway, helping to guide a Masters class of cybersecurity students through a combined learning and capture the flag (CTF) exercise on the MITRE framework and a second one on the top 10 vulnerabilities identified by OWASP.
Aside from his mentoring activities, Jess has been a fierce advocate for the work life balance of the industry. He was the spokesperson for a Centripetal campaign, which highlighted how much cybersecurity cuts into the personal time of the industry, and noting that it is the responsibility of security leaders such as him to ensure that the appropriate balance is met.
