Stephen Thomas leads the integrated Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Support organizations
at the Center for Internet Security (CIS), the nonprofit that provides cybersecurity guidance and shared
services to more than 18,000 State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) entities and coordinates the Multi-
State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). He is accountable for $157 million in annual
revenue, oversees a sta of 122, and has helped CIS build a commercial customer base of 5,000
organizations. After three decades in the private sector, he chose this public-interest role because he
believes commercial innovation in cybersecurity should serve the common good. Under his leadership,
CIS is pairing its long-standing SLTT programs with a rapidly expanding commercial and technologypartnerships
practice, delivering the CIS Controls, Benchmarks, and managed services trusted by
government networks to enterprises and cloud partners nationwide.
Beyond CIS, Stephen is an active board and advisory contributor. He serves on the Foundation Board of
Bossier Parish Community College, shaping workforce curricula for Louisiana’s emerging cyber-talent
pipeline, and on CompTIA’s Workforce Advisory Board, where he champions national upskilling initiatives
in cybersecurity. He stays engaged with LSU and LSU Shreveport, most recently leading a Sales Career
event at LSU Shreveport. Earlier in his career he founded and presided over the Austin (ISC)² Chapter,
served as president of the Austin Sigma Chi Alumni Association, and now mentors early-stage founders
through MassChallenge, Alchemist Accelerator, and the Women’s Security Alliance. As an operating
adviser to Bright Pixel Private Equity, he conducts due-diligence reviews and crafts go-to-market
strategies for cybersecurity startups; recent engagements include guiding Vicarius, Trustero, and
Knostic.ai from proof of concept to enterprise contracts.
These board and advisory roles give Stephen a broad view of public-sector needs, private-sector
innovation cycles, and investor expectations, enabling him to translate strategy among policymakers,
founders, and capital providers.
Stephen and his wife, Susanna, recently relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, after thirty years in Austin,
Texas. They are raising six children; Ella (21), Lawson (19), Trep (18), Isabel (16), and twins Olly (15) and
Miggs (15). Welcoming children through foster care and adoption has reinforced Stephen’s belief that
lasting security, whether in families or in cyberspace, begins with investing early, nurturing potential, and
opening doors for the next generation. Weekend downtime finds Stephen boating on Cypress Lake, wakesurfing
with his kids, or volunteering at community cybersecurity and sales workshops.