NONPROFIT, PUBLIC & ACADEMIA
Nikol Michailos IBM CISO Cyber Defense Development and Analytics Engineering Manager LinkedIn My career began in the nonprofit sector, supporting post–Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts. That experience grounded me in the importance of resilience, community, and service during times of crisis. Wanting to extend that impact more directly, I moved into education, first as a teacher and later as an assistant principal, where I worked to expand
opportunities for students, manage curriculum, and lead operations that balanced academic goals with state accountability. Those years shaped my leadership philosophy and instilled in me a deep commitment to people development and equity. Seeking to bridge practice with research, I pursued advanced study in data science, education, and leadership. Academia gave me space to connect human factors with technology and organizational change, sharpening both my analytical skills and my ability to translate complex ideas into strategies that drive outcomes. Today, I bring these experiences into the corporate world as a cybersecurity leader. At IBM’s Office of the CISO, I manage a team of developers and data engineers building security data platforms and AI-driven solutions that strengthen enterprise defense. My work spans threat detection, program management, and collaboration across technical and policy domains. From post-Katrina community service to classrooms to corporate cyber defense, my career reflects a consistent thread: solving complex problems by centering people. Whether supporting recovery, teaching students, or defending enterprises, I remain committed to fostering growth, resilience, and innovation that serve both organizations and the individuals within them.
WOMEN OF INFLUENCE AWARDS
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