Cybersecurity & AI Infrastructure Leader
Ron Craighead is a cybersecurity and IT infrastructure leader with 20+ years of experience securing enterprise environments — from startups to Fortune 500 companies to a successful NASDAQ IPO. He holds active CISSP and AIGP (Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional) certifications, a combination held by fewer than 5% of security professionals.
His career spans enterprise security architecture, compliance framework implementation, risk management, and infrastructure design across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments. He has managed global infrastructure across 3 datacenters, 8 offices, and 300+ remote team members.
Core Expertise
- Compliance & Governance — CMMC Level 2, SOX, PCI-DSS, GDPR, AI governance (AIGP)
- Security Architecture — Firewall management, IDS/IPS, SASE/SD-WAN, SIEM (Splunk), identity-based access control (Cisco ISE)
- AI/ML Infrastructure — GPU-accelerated inference (NVIDIA A100, RTX 4070), Ollama, TensorRT, on-premise AI deployment
- Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure — AWS, Azure, datacenter migration, F5 load balancing, secure VPN architecture
- Virtualization & Containerization — Proxmox clustering, Docker, Podman, GPU passthrough
- Network Engineering — CCNP-level routing/switching, SD-WAN, IPSEC mesh VPN, network segmentation
Certifications
- ISC2 CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- IAPP AIGP — Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional
- CompTIA SecurityX (formerly CASP+) — Advanced Security Practitioner
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- Secret Clearance — Inactive (reinvestigatable)
Career Highlights
Silvaco Inc. — Sr. Manager, Global IT & Security (2022–2025)
Led IT security for a semiconductor software company through NASDAQ IPO. Architected SOX-compliant hybrid cloud infrastructure across 3 global datacenters (Santa Clara, London, Tokyo). Spearheaded CMMC Level 2 compliance initiative. Designed “Secure Chambers” — isolated environments for sensitive semiconductor R&D. Managed team of 10 supporting 300 employees across Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Jack in the Box Corporate — Manager, Network Engineering (2014–2022)
Owned network security compliance for enterprise and 3,000+ retail locations. Re-architected restaurant network security for next-gen POS, IoT, and cloud systems. Replaced legacy MPLS WAN with secure meshed IPSEC VPN — saving $250K/year while increasing bandwidth 10x. Deployed Cisco ISE and Splunk for centralized security monitoring. Managed $10M in vendor contracts and team of 8.
Sony Computer Entertainment — Senior Network Engineer (2011–2013)
Designed and secured network infrastructure for game hosting networks and development studios. Consolidated datacenters saving $800K annually.
Motorola Mobility — Sr. Network Engineer / Technical Assurance Manager (2000–2011)
Designed NOC network security architecture. Managed 200+ secure global connections for enterprise customers including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast.
Aviation & Volunteer Service
Ron is an instrument-rated commercial pilot and independent Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) operating from Gillespie Field and Montgomery Field in San Diego. He holds a BS in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Flight Instruction
As an independent CFI, Ron provides personalized flight training with simulation integration. His 53-hour structured simulation curriculum — built around a Cessna 172SP G1000 digital twin — has helped students complete Private Pilot certification in approximately 40 hours versus the 60+ hour national average, saving $2,400+ per student.
Civil Air Patrol
- Squadron 57 Commander — California Wing, Group 8
- Instructor Pilot — CAP flight operations
- Aerospace Education Officer — STEM education and cadet pilot training
Military Service
- U.S. Navy — Sonar Technician / Acoustic Analyst, Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (Aegis). Honorably discharged, E-6.
- California Army National Guard — Combat Engineer, Squad Leader (2013–2024). Maintained Secret clearance. Supported civil security and wildland firefighting operations.
Education
BS in Aeronautics, Technical Management — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Contact
Location: San Diego, California
Email: rpcraighead@gmail.com
Phone: 619-701-5383