Tarah Marie Wheeler (born February 12, 1979) is an American technology and

cybersecurity Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, th ...

author, public speaker, entrepreneur and executive. She is currently CEO of Red Queen Dynamics and Senior Fellow of Global Cyber Policy at the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...

, and she is the author of '' Women in Tech''.

Early life and education

Wheeler received a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...

degree from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

Career

In 2012, Wheeler founded now-defunct employee management company Fizzmint. Wheeler was a systems architect at mobile

encryption In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can dec ...

firm

Silent Circle Silent Circle is a German Eurodisco band formed in West Germany in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Martin Tychsen (Jo Jo Tyson), keyboardist & composer Axel Breitung, and drummer Jürgen Behrens (CC Behrens). History Silent Circle first ...

. In 2016, Wheeler was named a Cybersecurity Passcode Influencer by

Christian Science Monitor Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

and spoke to the Federal Trade Commission on

information security Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthori ...

in tech startups. After a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

campaign, Wheeler published '' Women in Tech'', a book dedicated to teaching women how to succeed in tech careers. The book was published with several contributors, including

Esther Dyson Esther Dyson (born 14 July 1951) is a Swiss-born American investor, journalist, author, commentator and philanthropist. She is the executive founder of Wellville, a nonprofit project focused on improving equitable wellbeing. Dyson is also an an ...

and

Brianna Wu Brianna Wu (born July 6, 1977) is an American video game developer and computer programmer. She co-founded Giant Spacekat, an independent video game development studio, with Amanda Warner in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also a blogger and pod ...

, one of the targets of the

Gamergate controversy Gamergate or GamerGate (GG) was a loosely organized misogynistic online harassment campaign and a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture. It was conducted using the hashtag "#Gamergate" pr ...

. Wheeler served as the Website Cybersecurity Czar at Symantec, until her position was eliminated in August 2017. Wheeler and her husband Deviant Ollam helped cybersecurity researcher

Marcus Hutchins Marcus Hutchins (born 1994), also known online as MalwareTech, is a British computer security researcher known for stopping the WannaCry ransomware attack. He is employed by cybersecurity firm Kryptos Logic. Hutchins is from Ilfracombe in Dev ...

with his bail in August 2017 and to house him in Los Angeles during his arraignment period while he was investigated by the FBI on charges related to the Kronos rootkit; Hutchins later plead guilty to two of ten charges. In 2021, Wheeler became a Fulbright Scholar in Cybersecurity at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

. Wheeler has been cited in national media on issues relating to cybersecurity such as cyberterrorism, malware and data breaches and has written about cyberwar policy.

Bibliography

Books

* Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack, '' Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories'', 2016, Hardback ISBN 978-1-63217-140-5

Poker

Wheeler has competed in the

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker p ...

with $4,722 in lifetime cashes. In ''Women in Tech'', Wheeler notes that interests such as poker can be useful in business, the same way golf can be.

References

External links

Personal site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Tarah 1979 births Living people 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers Activists from Washington (state) American business writers Women business writers American computer businesspeople American feminist writers American technology chief executives American technology writers Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon Businesspeople from Seattle People associated with computer security Gen Digital people Splunk people Writers from Portland, Oregon Writers from Seattle American women non-fiction writers Fulbright alumni