Posted on December 22, 2019 by Wendy Frost
As a digital crime fighter, Dave Baumgartner chose to study at the UTSA College of Business because of its unique specialization in cyber security.
“The curriculum made me select UTSA,” said Baumgartner, CTO for the Americas at FireEye, Inc. “Other programs seemed too generic. I was looking for something that would flex my technical skills. UTSA had the NSA designations and the lab requirements I was looking for.”
While a student his favorite faculty member was Robert Kaufman , whom he still keeps in touch with today. And, one of his most insightful courses was a leadership class taught by Mark Phillips .
“The last 13 years of opportunity I’ve been afforded are a direct result of my time at UTSA,” said Baumgartner, who lives in Houston. “Doors opened through the program have led me across the country and around the world.”
Leveraging a connection that he made in the classroom, Baumgartner received an offer to work with EY in their technology, security and risk department. After eight years, he went to work for Mandiant (which has since been bought by FireEye) leading a professional services team. Then, he was recruited by Target as their vice president of cyber security to rebuild their cyber security programs following their breach.
Baumgartner and his team works with customers to build security solutions and cyber defenses. “I’m very fortunate that we have the best cyber threat intelligence team at Fire-Eye,” he said. “You must stay connected to what is happening in the world and continually retool your skill set.”
Returning to UTSA to recruit and guest lecture, Baumgartner is an advocate for the college’s cyber security program. “I’m proud to be a UTSA College of Business alumni,” he said. “You know if a student goes through UTSA’s cyber security programming they know their stuff.”
— Wendy Frost
