Deron loves building things—services, people, teams—you name it. But he’s particularly passionate about building solutions for clients that help protect them from a cyber threat or cyberattack's reputational, regulatory, and financial impact.
His pragmatic yet unique approach has solved some of the most difficult cyber issues. He has helped his client build programs to remediate vulnerabilities and reduce their attack surface, leveraged machine learning and automation to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cyber operations, and enabled companies to detect and respond to cyber threats and incidents.
He is as comfortable discussing cybersecurity issues and solutions with the C-suite and board as he is rolling up his sleeves and digging into them with front-line cyber/technical resources.
Deron joined West Monroe in 2023 from KPMG, where he was a Managing Director in the Cyber Services practice. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Illinois Chicago, along with an MBA and a master's degree in Computer, Information, and Network Security from DePaul University.
What makes Deron different
Hockey is a big part of Deron's life. He is a USA Hockey certified coach for a youth hockey team, one daughter plays hockey (the other volleyball), and he owns a company that produces locker room hockey banners for teams in the United States and Canada.
It's not surprising that his favorite vacations are far from the ice—on islands and beaches. The son of a retired Walt Disney Company employee, he estimates he's been to Disneyland/Disney World at least 150 times and on at least a dozen Disney Cruises.
Where Deron makes an impact
Deron remains active at his alma mater, DePaul, as adjunct faculty in the School of Computing and Digital Media, teaching graduate-level information security courses to provide those entering the industry with a head-start and skills they will use for years to come. He is a volunteer Solar System Ambassador (SSA) with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, educating local communities about NASA missions and space exploration.
