From State Prison IT to Deputy CISO With Cathy Stephenson.

🎙️ Cathy Stephenson did not set out to work in cybersecurity. She landed in IT almost by accident and then outworked, out-learned, and out-networked her way to Security Engineer at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with Deputy CISO in her sights.
In this episode of the WakeUpX Podcast, host Efren Salazar sits down with Cathy live at the ISACA Sacramento chapter event. Cathy shares how enterprise architecture became her foundation, how she slashed SLA response times from 30 days to one hour, and why she once stopped a job interview mid-session because she knew it was not the right fit.
She also talks about teaching cybersecurity basics to 60 seniors at a church, the frameworks she trusts most including NIST CSF and Zero Trust, and what it really takes to go from SOC analyst to Deputy CISO.
Huge shoutout to Cathy Stephenson from CDCR for sharing her story with honesty and heart. 🙌
If you are building a cybersecurity career without a traditional roadmap, this episode was made for you.
Guest: Cathy Stephenson

Connect with Cathy Stephenson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-stephenson-6b54a026/
Host: Efren Salazar, Founder and CEO, WakeUpX Solutions

Connect with Efren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/efrenlsalazar/

WakeUpX Solutions: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wake-up-x-solutions

Website: www.wakeupxpodcast.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Efren.wakeupx
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wake-up-x-podcast-with-efren-l-salazar/id1792821643

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/28GZnRBrIV2efHOhZdiftt