Mark D. Young is a leading authority on national security, intelligence, and advanced technology having played a critical role in the oversight and development of U.S. technology, intelligence, and cybersecurity policies, plans, and operations. Mr. Young is the Chief Risk Officer and Senior Advisor to the ConsenSys Software Inc. Chief Executive Officer on international, U.S. federal and state regulation, Enterprise Risk Management, corporate growth, and leadership. He previously founded an advanced artificial intelligence platform company that evaluates the reliability of source material for the mass media, information, and financial business sectors.

He was the first Chief Security Officer and executive member of the Senior Leadership Team at IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc., an advanced technology, consulting, and cloud computing firm serving the information security and advanced analytics needs of the financial, healthcare, electric power, and national security business sectors. Mr. Young successfully brought two distinct IronNet offerings to market, to include pricing, marketing, and software deployment strategies. He closed the largest financial sector contract in the firm’s history. He is a recognized thought leader on security policy, technical innovation, and cybersecurity.

With more than 25 years national security experience, Mr. Young held several leadership positions within the public and private sectors. In 2013, he co-founded an intelligence-based cybersecurity firm that generated immediate revenue. After rapid acquisition, Mr. Young was a senior executive for the acquiring private sector cyber services company. His leadership and expertise provided opportunities to conduct high-profile cyber war games for The Washington Post and Zurich Insurance. He also provides technical commentary on Bloomberg News programs such as In the Loop and Bloomberg West.

Prior to establishing and leading two successful start-ups, Mr. Young served as the Executive Director for the Directorate for Plans and Policy at U.S. Cyber Command leading strategy, policy, and military planning initiatives for Department of Defense intelligence and cyberspace operations. As the senior civilian in the 300-person directorate, he was responsible for crises coordination across multiple civilian, military, and law enforcement departments and agencies. Mr. Young was an advisor to the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and led the Command’s interagency interactions as the representative to National Security Council working groups.

Mr. Young also served as the Special Counsel for Defense Intelligence on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence at the U.S. House of Representatives. He was responsible for oversight of highly sensitive U.S. intelligence programs, to include covert action, cyber operations, counterterrorism, and enemy combatant adjudication. He managed more than $25B in Military Intelligence Program funds, monitored major defense-program performance, and was the principal interface with the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

Before serving on the congressional staff, Mr. Young was a senior civilian at the National Security Agency’s Legislative Affairs Office and significantly improved the NSA relationship with the national security committees within the House of Representatives. As a Naval Officer, he served as a military aide to the first NSA Signals Intelligence Director and worked closely with the National Security Council, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, and multiple foreign intelligence partners. Mr. Young is a former U.S. Navy enlisted Electronics Technician, and served as a naval aviator flying the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye.

Mr. Young received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Norwich University in 1992. In 2002, he received a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2006. Mr. Young is a member of the Maryland Bar and has published in the Journal of National Security Law and Policy and the Stanford Law and Policy Review. He is a lecturer at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, a consultant for Johns Hopkins’ Center for Advanced Governmental Studies, a former Senior Fellow at George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, and Board Chairman of Kallion, an organization that elevates leadership through the humanities. He is also a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.