Howard is a cybersecurity (AKA computer security) professional with more than 30 years of experience in the field. After obtaining a B.S. in Computer Science from Iowa State University in Ames, IA, Howard moved to Maryland and obtained a M.S. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.  He has published and presented a peer-reviewed paper and been a participant on invited panels at national conferences. He currently holds a number of certifications including:

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP),

• GIAC Advanced Smartphone Forensics (GASF)

• GIAC Assessing and Auditing Wireless Networks (GAWN)

 He has previously held the following certifications:

• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA),

• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) 

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

• GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)

Howard lives with his charming wife Kyndra in Easton, Maryland. Howard grew up in Marion Iowa where members of his extended family still live. Linn-Mar Community Schools in Marion provided his education through High School. Howard and Kyndra have two "Fox Red" Labrador Retrievers, Finn and Sawyer.

Howard has a wish list of expensive toys and assorted stuff he would like to own at Amazon.com.