Bio:
Dr. Reza Ghaffari is a distinguished cybersecurity executive, technologist, and military leader with over 40 years of expertise in aerospace, defense, and cybersecurity. As the CEO and Founder of Cyber Vet Solutions, LLC, he has driven cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Fortune 100/500 corporations, including Northrop Grumman, Intergraph, General Electric, and U.S. Steel. His work has molded cyber resilience, aviation security, industrial control systems, and national defense strategies.
A retired U.S. Navy Captain with 30 years of active and reserve service, Dr. Ghaffari has held senior leadership roles at the Pentagon and NAVAIR as an aeronautical engineering duty officer. He deployed to Afghanistan, where he led critical Navy Aerostat/UAV systems and provided operational leadership, aerospace engineering, cybersecurity operations, operational risk assessments, and readiness. He has played a pivotal role in developing DoD-wide cyber policies, compliance/accreditation, threat analysis frameworks, cyber survivability strategies, and risk assessment.
In academia, Dr. Ghaffari is an adjunct professor at the Citadel/College of Charleston, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), and George Washington University, where he teaches advanced cybersecurity, systems architecture, and national security. He is also co-author of the newly published Survival in Space Book, which he wrote about Robotics in space.
He holds a Doctor of Engineering with research on Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and security control for autonomous systems from George Washington University and advanced degrees in Electrical Engineering and National Security Strategy from The Citadel, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the Naval War College.
Fluent in multiple languages, Dr. Ghaffari has served as a strategic advisor to DoD, NATO/ISAF, and global defense organizations, providing socio-political, strategic planning, cyber intelligence, and technical insights. Some noteworthy honors include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (four awards).