John Romano is currently Director of Technology Security and ISSO (Information Systems Security Officer) for the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland, which is a University-affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to helping the government expand its capabilities in information operations, human dynamics, human performance, language, cognition, culture, and optimal decision-making. He was part of the team that worked on the proposal to form the center and then joined the UARC team to help grow it into a world-class research asset. He is responsible for all ARLIS technology initiatives, classified and unclassified infrastructure, security, and technical operations and has played key roles in major research projects including the CATA (Cyber- Aptitude Talent Assessment), RPAT (Regional Proficiency Assessment Tool), and PASAGLOSSA/LANGSCAPE (Geo-linguistics), and creation of the center’s virtual reality prototypes for learning.
In addition to his position at the University of Maryland, Mr. Romano is also a graduate instructor and advisor in the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. He has helped develop and currently teaches several graduate courses in the Information Systems Engineering program, including Principles of Network Engineering (635.611) and Advanced Topics in Network Engineering (635.711).
Previously, Mr. Romano was the Director of NTS Engineering in the University of Maryland Office of Information Technology. He led the team of engineers and senior technical staff responsible for all strategic planning, system design, and high-level troubleshooting associated with the university’s communications infrastructure. His team was also involved in a number of advanced research projects and beta tests with the university’s research community and strategic partners. Prior to that, he was Section Supervisor and Lead Telecomm Engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD, and held various engineering and construction management positions at the University of Maryland.
Mr. Romano earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Science in 1997 from Johns Hopkins University. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He also earned a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from the University of Maryland and currently holds the ISC2 CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), Palo Alto CNSE, GIAC GSNA (Systems & Network Auditing), GIAC GCIA (Intrusion Analysis), and GIAC GPEN (Penetration Testing) professional certifications.