Dr. Denae Brooks

Dr. Denae Brooks is a 2023 Cybersecurity Leadership PhD graduate and cyber doctoral committee chair at Capitol Technology University. She has 20+ years of experience working in Cyber, IT, and business communications. Since 2020, she has worked for USAA, where she currently holds the role of Senior Information Security Risk Analyst in enterprise cyber risk management and is also a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Champion for USAA. Denae is a strong advocate for cybersecurity newcomers and a proponent of DE&I in cybersecurity. Her doctoral research for her Ph.D. focused on qualitatively exploring the attitudes, opinions, perceptions, and lived experiences of cybersecurity professionals' work with cyber threat intelligence-driven phishing awareness programs. Dr. Brooks was a finalist for the 2023 Global Cybersecurity Woman of the Year and 2023 Cybersecurity Woman of the World awards. She was featured in the 2022 Top Cyber News Magazine "40 Under 40" top cyber leaders edition. She earned an MS in Information Systems and Security from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, and holds a BS in Communication from The University of Houston.