Career Pathway of an Alum: Liberal Arts, the Darkweb, Public Policy, and Cybersecurity

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Jeff Williams '91 is a senior technical executive at Amazon Web Services where his focus on security is mapped against some of the most challenging problems at the largest scales. In the years leading up to his current role, he served as the Global Head of Security for the EU-headquartered Avast. Avast- recently acquired by Norton LifeLock- was a FTSE-100 company which provides security and identity software to the consumer and small business markets. Jeff led teams responsible for the functions of security architecture; risk and governance; policy, training and awareness; and he managed a complex portfolio of projects centered on zero trust, security maturity improvement, and capability development. He led security due diligence for multiple acquisitions by Avast and their subsequent integration. He brings more than 30 years of operations, technical program management, and leadership as both an executive and as a board member in the commercial, non-profit, and academic sectors. Jeff’s contributions to national standards such as the NIST Framework for Security, and to various industry working groups aimed at improving security and resilience of the Internet against all variety of threats have made him a sought-after resource for speaking engagements globally.

Before joining Avast, he was the Chief Strategy Officer and principal security architect for FiveBy Solutions, a high-end security consultancy providing long-term services to companies including Microsoft, Twitch, Oculus, and Adobe in areas of security, anti-fraud, supply chain security, anti-piracy, risk intelligence, and anti-counterfeiting. The five years prior were spent as Director of Security Strategy for the Counter Threat Unit at Dell Secureworks where he focused on botnet takedowns, threat intelligence, and government affairs. Jeff also dedicated twelve years to Microsoft serving in various roles such as a senior leader in the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, divisional Privacy Officer, and their first Security Solutions Architect. While at Microsoft, he was responsible for both the Microsoft Virus Initiative, and the Anti-Spyware Coalition which drove collaboration across the security industry. His team’s software (such as the Malicious Software Removal Tool) is used on more than 1.3 billion computers. He is recognized internationally as a subject matter expert in the areas of security, privacy, malware and computer crime tradecraft.

Jeff is a Senior Academic Fellow at Duke University teaching in the Cybersecurity Executive Leadership program put on jointly by the Sanford School of Public Policy, the Pratt School of Engineering, and Duke University School of Law. He has also taught Risk Management and Telecommunications at the master’s and undergraduate levels. He is the author of “MCSE: A Guide to Windows NT Server 4.0 in the Enterprise” co-author of “Microsoft Windows Security Resource Kit” for Microsoft Press and a contributor to eight books in the Microsoft Solutions for Security series covering various versions of Windows desktops and servers, Microsoft Exchange Server, anti-virus, risk management, and security operations.

Jeff, his Bennington alum wife Amy, and their two college-aged children live in the Pacific Northwest but he sometimes misses when he lived in Kilpat and was the chair of Rec Committee.