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Gary Kessler's Resume [PDF]

About Gary C. Kessler

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Gary Kessler Associates

About Gary C. Kessler







Dr. Gary C. Kessler is an independent researcher, consultant, and practitioner in the areas of maritime cybersecurity, computer and network security, and communications protocols and standards. He is a retired Professor of Cybersecurity from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Retirement has not resulted in professional inactivity, however; he is also:

Prior to moving to Florida in 2012, Gary was Program Director for the Master of Science in Information Assurance program at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. From 2000-2010, Gary was an Associate Professor at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, where he started the Computer & Digital Forensics (on-campus and online), Computer Networking, and Information Security undergraduate programs and the M.S. in Digital Investigation Management program, and was the principal investigator at the Champlain College Center for Digital Investigation.

Prior to his life in academia, Gary held a number of jobs in industry:

  • Senior Network Security Analyst at SymQuest Group, a network integration consulting company in South Burlington, Vermont
  • Director of Information Technology and a Senior Member of Technical Staff at Hill Associates, a telecommunications education and training firm in Colchester, Vermont
  • Software engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California
  • Coordinator of Academic Computing at St. Michael's College in Colchester
  • Applications programmer in the Cardiology Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles

Gary holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California; an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Vermont in Burlington; and a Ph.D. in Computing Technology in Education from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is also a Certified Computer Examiner (CCE) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Gary is the co-author (with Peter V. Southwick) of ISDN: Concepts, Facilities, and Services, 4th. edition (McGraw-Hill, 1998), the co-author (with David A. Train) of Metropolitan Area Networks: Concepts, Standards, and Services (McGraw-Hill, 1992), and has written more than 75 articles, papers, and book chapters.

Gary's entire resume is also available!!



Gary's wife, Gayle Belin, is a retired Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), Mahjongg fanatic, and certified — albeit inactive — SCUBA diver. His son, Joshua, is the Director of Athletic Communications at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. His daughter, Sarah, manages telehealth strategic planning at University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington and mother to two daughters. Gary's step-daughter, Hilary, is also an SLP and lives in Vermont with husband, David, and two sons. Step-son, Daniel, dabbles in the stock market in Florida.

Gary is a PADI-certified Master SCUBA Diver Trainer. He was originally certified in SCUBA by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation — source of the first recreational SCUBA certification in the U.S. — in 1967 at the age of 13. After a long hiatus, Gary was re-certified in 1991 as one of the original divers with the Colchester Rescue Dive Team in Colchester, Vermont. Gary dives as much as possible, finally eschewing the wrecks in dark, cold, murky Lake Champlain for the warmer waters of Florida... See some of his favorite SCUBA Web sites, photos, and other SCUBA-related information. He also holds a Merchant Mariner Certificate (MMC) as a 50 GT near coastal master with a towing endorsement, is a part-time captain at Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, and a new member training captain at Freedom Boat Club in Daytona Beach. Gary is a member of Flotilla 44 (District 7) in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, where he holds coxswain and ATON verifier qualifications.

Gary is a life member (and former Chief) of the Colchester Rescue Squad and was an Emergency Medical Technician from 1979-2006; he is also the webmaster of the Green Mountain Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Other interests include bicycling, hiking, and playing the guitar (albeit stuck in a 1960s-70s folk music time warp, at least until Mary Chapin Carpenter, 10,000 Maniacs [the Natalie Merchant years], Neko Case, First Aid Kit, Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, and others of their ilk came along).