Jerry
Mensah

Summary

am a mission-focused Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) and Information Assurance (IA) professional with experience supporting federal and defense organizations in strengthening cybersecurity, reducing risk, and maintaining compliance. As a U.S. Army Veteran with an active Secret Clearance, I bring discipline, accountability, and a mission-first mindset to the protection of critical systems and operations. My experience includes Risk Management Framework (RMF), Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), Assessment & Authorization (A&A), security control assessments, vulnerability management, continuous monitoring, POA&M management, and cybersecurity risk assessments. I have supported compliance with NIST SP 800-53, NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), FISMA, and DoD cybersecurity requirements. I collaborate with system owners, engineers, ISSOs, security teams, auditors, and government stakeholders to translate complex cybersecurity requirements into practical, risk-based solutions.

Impact

Experience

1. 2024-Present

   Cybersecurity Professional Development

   INDEPENDENT CYBERSECURITY CONTINUING EDUCATION · Remote

   • Pursued continuous cybersecurity professional development through O’Reilly Learning, LinkedIn Learning, mentorship, and collaborative learning with cybersecurity professionals and peers.
   • Completed advanced training in anomaly detection, cyber defense, security architecture, threat detection, vulnerability management, incident response, and cloud security to strengthen technical and defensive security capabilities.
   • Strengthened hands-on knowledge of vulnerability management, incident response, cloud security, risk management, and defensive security controls to support secure enterprise and federal environments.

2. 2024-2024

   Information Assurance Engineer | Senior Systems Analyst

   TISTA SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CORP · Remote

   • NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, RMF, System Security Plans (SSPs), POA&Ms, security controls, risk assessment, and compliance documentation.
   • Vulnerability management, incident response, access control, system hardening, SIEM monitoring, threat detection, remediation, LAN/WAN administration, and network security.

3. 2023-2024

   Information System Security Officer

   JANUS RESEARCH GROUP · El Paso

   • Optimized threat detection protocols, slashing Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) by 50% through the implementation of automated monitoring solutions and streamlined escalation frameworks.
   • Led adversarial analysis and DoD-wide risk assessments, identifying critical TTPs and executing remediation strategies that reduced system vulnerabilities by 25%.
   • Briefed senior government leadership and 20+ stakeholders on technical risk posture and remediation status to maintain DoD security compliance.

4. 2022-2023

   Cybersecurity Analyst

   VISTA DEFENSETECHNOLOGIES · El Paso, TX

   • Partnered with infrastructure leads to achieving a zero-finding SOX audit, strengthening compliance controls, and hardening secure access.
   • Executed technical security assessments using OpenSCAP and DISA STIGs, ensuring 100% compliance with federal policies across mission-critical systems.
   • Managed complex user access management and auditing in high-security environments, maintaining 24/7 operational preparedness for federal RMF and FedRAMP initiatives.

5. 2022-2022

   Network Engineer | Network Administrator

   PERATON INC · Las Cruces, NM

   • Redesigned LAN/WAN boundaries with firewall rule optimization and VLAN segmentation, reducing attack surface by [X]%.
   • Defined and monitored 10+ infrastructure KPIs, maintaining 99.9% uptime across secure environments.
   • Administered Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and VMware vSphere environments, ensuring secure user authentication and scalable virtual infrastructure.

6. 2018-2022

   IT Systems Administrator | Field Systems Support

   DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE(WAR) · Offutt AFB, NE

   • Administered, configured, maintained, and troubleshot Windows and Linux systems, servers, workstations, network devices, and field-deployed IT equipment to ensure system availability, performance, reliability, and compliance with organizational security requirements.
   • Provided Tier 2/3 technical support for hardware, software, operating systems, user accounts, Active Directory, network connectivity, system access, and application issues while documenting incidents, resolutions, configurations, and maintenance activities.

7. 2015-2018

   Police Officer | Public Safety & Security Specialist

   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS · Atlanta, GA

   • Conducted security operations, patrols, surveillance, and risk assessments to protect personnel, property, and facilities. Identified suspicious activity, safety hazards, and security vulnerabilities.
   • Conducted investigations, interviews, and evidence collection. Prepared accurate incident and investigative reports, witness statements, and official records in compliance with laws, policies, and procedures.
   • Responded to emergencies, alarms, and high-risk incidents using crisis management, conflict resolution, and de-escalation techniques. Performed access control, perimeter security, traffic control, and crowd management.

Skills

Education and certifications

Service record

Rank

Specialist

Years served

6

Specialty / MOS

Infantryman

Security clearance

Secret