Theresa Payton

Former White House CIO

Theresa Payton is one of America's most respected authorities on Internet security, net crime, fraud mitigation, and technology implementation. As White House Chief Information Officer from 2006 to 2008 -- the first woman ever to hold that position -- she administered the information technology enterprise for the President and 3,000 staff members. Prior to working in federal government, Payton held executive roles in banking technology at Bank of America and Wells Fargo. As founder of Fortalice, LLC, a security, risk, and fraud consulting company, she now lends her expertise to organizations large and small, helping them improve their information technology systems against emerging, amorphous cyber threats. In 2010, she was named by Security Magazine as one of the top 25 "Most Influential People in Security." She serves as a cyber expert for the syndicated program "America Now" and is co-author of <i>Protecting Your Internet Identity: Are You Naked Online?</i>