Education
Information Systems Security, PhD, 2021
Research Area: Information System Security – The Study of the Effect of Factors of Threat Avoidance Behavior on Ransomware among College Students
Nova Southeastern University
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Advisor: Dr. Inkyoung Hur
Additional Research: Bio-informatics Research with Dr. Patricia Ordoñez from UPR-PR
2016 - 2018
Knowledge Discovery & DataMining, Master in Computer Science, 2011
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Computer Engineering, Bachelor of Science, 2008
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Experience
Visiting Professor, Cybersecurity William J. Perrry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
Washington, D.C.
December 2023 - present
Developed and facilitated real-world tabletop scenarios to enhance IT emergency response and collaboration between government, military, and private sectors.
Authored papers focused on cybersecurity and hemispheric defense strategies.
Provided academic support in course development, including the design and delivery of lectures and materials.
Evaluated and provided detailed feedback on student policy papers, focusing on cybersecurity topics and best practices.
Delivered expert presentations on various cybersecurity subjects to diverse audiences in both in-person and online settings.
DL Program Manager, DISTRIBUTED LEARNING PROGRAM Puerto rico army national guard
Ft Buchanan, puerto rico
October 2019 - Present
Utilized project management skills to successfully oversee multiple technical projects for the PRNG/G6 CIO, including budget management, scope and schedule management, risk and opportunity management, and problem-solving to support force training and command and control requirements.
Led a team of technical professionals in managing a network of 92 workstations and 180 laptops for over 10,000 users, providing technical mentorship and guidance as needed, resolving conflicts, and promoting collaboration and motivation towards common goals.
Managed financial aspects of operations, budgeting, invoicing, and billing handling an average budget of $300,000 servicing the 8,500 members of the Puerto Rico National Guard in addition to dependents and the civilian workforce.
Improved site usage by 106% through process improvement efforts, including the implementation of new technical solutions.
Played a key role in the planning, budgeting, and delivery of the Distributed Learning Program providing ongoing assessment of training and education ensuring the successful delivery of DL training to the force.
Served as Program Information Assurance Security Officer, adhering strictly to CIS standards and processes within the CMMC 2.0 framework to maintain compliance in a security-focused environment.
Led the development of technical security protocols and architectural design, prototyping, evaluation, and trade study analysis for enterprise security solutions within a zero-trust architecture.
Collaborated with PRNG/G6 System Administrator and Cybersecurity personnel to create technical proposals, briefs, and presentations for State Government, NGB, and PRNG Executive Leadership.
IT Project Manager, PRNG Recovery Group
Puerto rico army national guard state affairs office
San Juan, puerto rico
June 2019 - Present
Gathered and defined clear requirements from stakeholders throughout the organization to ensure the successful delivery of all project goals and deliverables in a regulated and compliance-focused environment.
Oversaw the processes surrounding the COR3 Disaster Recovery System and associated data on agency disaster expenses and reimbursement, including maintaining the FEMA Grants Portal and DRS.
Communicated problems to agency leadership and project stakeholders and presented solutions.
Acted as a disaster recovery subject matter expert, using process improvement expertise to identify deficiencies and recommend disaster mitigation strategies to minimize downtime and improve system continuity during disasters.
Site Administrator, DL Program,
Puerto rico army national guard
Ft buchanan, Puerto rico
June 2009 - April 2019
Oversaw all administration and troubleshooting operations for a decentralized network covering 3 computer learning centers and over 200 combined desktops and laptops, balancing the needs of different stakeholders.
Served as the lead subject matter expert on the program security infrastructure.
Conducted constant assessments of the existing IT infrastructure and processes to identify opportunities for improvement, including adapting, integrating, or retiring services to enhance standards and reach the top 15 most used programs in the nation.
Created statistical reports to analyze resource usage patterns and improve availability for cyclical or recurrent requirements.
software manager
gregory morris engineering
San Juan, puerto rico
June 2006 - June 2009
Acted as Software Manager on a major public sector contract for the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), valued at $20 million, leading the island-wide Water Meter Customer Census program.
Presented key information to senior leadership, enabling informed decision-making.
Adopted agile principles to increase project speed and improve value delivery for the client.
Owned the system design, integration, requirements, security analysis, and deployment of handheld devices for participation in the PRASA project application and supporting web applications for 60 field crews covering over 1.4 million total customers.
Conducted risk exposure and software usability balance analysis to ensure developed software met standards.
Acted as a disaster recovery subject matter expert, recommending disaster mitigation strategies to minimize downtime and improve system continuity during disasters for local and remote offices.
Managed office network, database, cloud, software development, endpoint, and hardware technologies.
certifications
CompTIA A+, network+, and security+ Certified Professional
EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker
Operations Security Program Manager (OPSEC Level III) Qualified
Core Competencies
Project Management
Systems Administration
Team Leadership
Training/Coaching
Adaptability
Collaboration
Time Management
Organization
Problem Solving
English/Spanish Fluency
IT Infrastructure
Data Security
Disaster Recovery
Excellent Communication Skills
Attention to Detail
Sense of Urgency
Awards
Awarded Commander’s Coin by PRNG 101st Troop Command Commander for outstanding work during unit activities.
Awarded Commander’s Coin by Command Logistics Review Team, Expanded (CLRTX) Commander for exceptional work during PRNG CLRTX event.
Awarded Coin by Drug Intelligence Agency representative for exemplary work during support of DIA activities.
Outstanding Young Citizen of Puerto Rico Award 1999 & 2011
Kodak Young Leader’s Award 2000
Leadership Positions and Volunteer Work
ACM International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference
Broadening Participation in Data Mining Program
IEEE SoutheastCon
Publications
Acosta-Maestre, H. A. (2021). The Empirical Study of the Factors that Influence Threat Avoidance Behavior in Ransomware Security Incidents (Doctoral dissertation, Nova Southeastern University).
Acosta Maestre, H. (2020, August). Bringing Inclusive Diversity to Data Science: Opportunities and Challenges. In Proceedings of the 26th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery & Data Mining (pp. 3596-3596).
Jackson, L., Acosta-Maestre, H. A., & Jackson, H. (2020, August). When You Know Better You Do Better: Increasing Opportunities for Diverse Experiences at Data Science Conferences. In Proceedings of the 26th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery & Data Mining (pp. 3597-3600).
Jackson, L., & Acosta-Maestre, H. A. (2021, February). The Data Science Mentoring Fire Next Time: Innovative Strategies for Mentoring in Data Science. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Reframing Diversity in AI: Representation, Inclusion, and Power (pp. 28-31).
