Professional Affiliation

Assistant Professor, Management Information Systems; Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Center, OU Launchpad; Oakwood University

Expert Bio

Julian B. Waddell is a Thought Leader in Cyber Security and a Seasoned Start-Up Strategist with a vast array of experience in both fields. That is what most people know about him. What you may not know is he is a terrible singer and dancer but that doesn't stop him from singing embarrassingly loud and at random, while performing dance moves that look differently in his head then it does in real life. He is also a gifted storyteller with a passion for learning little known history facts.

In order to fulfill his passion for entrepreneurial endeavors, he stepped down as the Chief Information Security Officer at Oakwood University to focus on being a professor and the Executive Director of their Entrepreneurship Center, OU Launchpad. Well, that's partly true. The more accurate reason was that he hadn't had time to play video games for years because of his dedication to the job. The moment he realized that he had significantly improved his organization's security posture, he knew it was time to dust off the old PS4 and ride off into the sunset.

Outside of all the awesome games he is currently playing, he is a great business wingman and he currently has led the initiative to launch a sustainable esports program through the entrepreneurship center. Be it a pitch deck, a sound business plan or competitive gaming, Julian works tirelessly to equip his community with the tools they need to be successful with their ventures.

 

So what makes Julian so good at what he does? He is an empathic critical thinking strategist who has 23 combined years of experience in Information Security, Information Technology and Business Strategy. He has served as one of the lead technical specialists of the Data at Rest Security Encryption initiative implemented by NASA to increase Information Security for their users and his team received national recognition for their efforts. If you ever get an opportunity to meet Julian in person, either ask him to tell you about the epic project he is currently taking on or challenge him to a game of Brawlhalla. Both of these things will make his day.