Mr. Rick Gardner serves as the UT Cyber Security Advisor (CSA) for the Integrated Operations Division (IOD) of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). He supports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure. His daily responsibilities include coordinating cyber preparedness information sharing and collaboration, risk mitigation and incident response, and providing cyber security resources, including providing assessments.
Rick Gardner has over 24 years working as a professional in Information Technology, to include his previous assignment as the Utah Army National Guard (UTARNG), Deputy Chief Information Officer CIO / G6 which he successfully fulfilled for over 6 years.
Chief Gardner has served in the Military for the past 28 years and is currently serving as a CW4 Senior Team Chief for the UTARNG Defensive Cyber Operations Element (DCOE). In this capacity he is responsible for planning, supervising, coordinating and providing technical assistance for defensive cyberspace operations. He is a subject matter expert for managing cyber incident response activities with state and local government, industry partners, and for inquiries from other National Guard / Department of Homeland Security / ACOIC and other government agencies.
Rick Gardner has numerous IT / Cyber Certifications to include: Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), 4EA IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Certifications, Project Management Professional (PMP), and Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE).
Mr. Gardner has earned a Master of Science, Chief Information Officer Degree from the National Defense University, and a Bachelor of Science, Information Technology Degree from Bellevue University.