AJ Yawn

AJ Yawn is a prominent figure in the cybersecurity and compliance industry, currently serving as the Partner in Charge of Product & Innovation at Armanino LLP.2 His career path has been diverse and impressive, spanning military service, entrepreneurship, and leadership roles in various organizations.

Career Highlights

Military Background:: AJ began his career as a Signal Officer in the US Army, where he served for nearly 6 years, reaching the rank of Captain.12 This experience introduced him to cybersecurity challenges and sparked his interest in the field.

Education:: He holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Florida State University, where he was also a scholarship athlete on the Men's Division 1 Basketball team.2 Later, he earned a Master of Science in Technology Management from Georgetown University.12

Professional Journey::

• Founder and CEO of ByteChek, a cybersecurity SaaS company (2020-2023)12
• Principal at Coalfire, focusing on SOC-ISO-Healthcare (2017-2020)2
• Associate Instructor at SANS Institute (2021-2023)12
• LinkedIn Learning Instructor (2022-present)2

Expertise and Contributions

AJ is known for his expertise in:

• Cloud security, particularly AWS
• Compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI, FedRAMP, HIPAA)
• Automated compliance assessment

He holds numerous certifications, including CISSP and several AWS certifications.1 AJ is also a frequent contributor to industry publications and speaks at cybersecurity events.1

Leadership and Community Involvement

AJ has taken on several leadership roles in professional organizations:

• Founding Board Member of the National Association of Black Compliance and Risk Management Professionals (NABCRMP)12
• Former Board Member of the ISC2 Miami Chapter12
• Advisory Board member for CISOMag2

Personal Philosophy

AJ is passionate about making compliance more accessible and less tedious, as evidenced by his motto at ByteChek: "We Make Compliance Suck Less".2 He emphasizes the importance of focusing on people rather than just credentials in cybersecurity.1

In his current role at Armanino LLP, AJ continues to innovate in the fields of cybersecurity and compliance, bringing his wealth of experience and unique perspective to drive product development and innovation.2