Waubonsee Community College will celebrate the accomplishments of its students with commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 14, at the college’s Sugar Grove Campus Field House. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
This year’s commencement speaker will be Brian Olson, Chief Information Security Officer, North America for the Northern Trust Corporation, a $12.2 trillion global financial services firm. He is responsible for overseeing and managing Northern Trust’s cyber and information security programs, including Threat Management, Data Protection, and Identity Management operations.
Olson has over 15 years of experience in information security operations in the defense and financial sectors. He served as the first Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Zurich Insurance Group, a Global Fortune 200 Company, where he established a global threat intelligence program.
Prior to Zurich, Olson served as the first Deputy Executive Director (Plans and Policy) for United States Cyber Command, a four-star military command responsible for the operations and defense of the Department of Defense networks. He directly participated in developing national cyber defense policy, including direct support to the Joint Staff, National Security Agency, Defense Science Board, and the White House’s National Security Staff.
Olson served in several positions while a commissioned officer in the United States Army primarily focused on communications and intelligence. His service culminated as Commander of the US Army’s first Dynamic Cyber Defense Company, a strategic effort to reorganize the Army’s cyber defense capabilities.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal (3 campaign stars). Olson is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he earned a degree in computer science.
The 54th commencement ceremonies will be led by Faculty Marshal Kenneth Kunz, Professor of Automotive Technology, and Student Marshal Priscila Vargas. Vargas is also a Class of 2022 graduate. Friends, family members, and community members who are unable to attend commencement can tune into the ceremonies via the college’s live stream, which will begin just before each ceremony.
To access the live stream and for more information about commencement, visit waubonsee.edu/graduation.
