Federal • DoD • Cloud • Cybersecurity

Dr. Chris Opp

DIT  •  CISSP  •  E-8 Retired, WYANG

Senior Cloud Architect and Cybersecurity Director with 24+ years leading enterprise-scale technology programs across Federal, DoD, and Defense Industrial Base environments.

FedRAMP CMMC 2.0 NIST 800-53/171 AWS GovCloud Azure IL4 Zero Trust SD-WAN RMF / A&A
View Expertise NIST 800-171 Research
24+
Years Experience
100K+
Endpoints Secured
20+
Cloud Migrations
15
ANG Units Migrated
79
NIST Controls Remediated

Core Competencies

Deep technical fluency across cloud, network, identity, and compliance architectures — applied at enterprise scale in Federal and DoD environments.

Cloud Architecture

Enterprise cloud design and migration across hyperscalers, with deep experience in sovereign and impact-level environments. Led 20+ cloud instance migrations at USDA and executed GCC-High transitions for DIB clients.

AWS GovCloud Azure IL4 GCP Oracle Cloud GCC-High Commvault

Cybersecurity Leadership

Directed enterprise security operations for 100,000+ endpoints across the Air National Guard, receiving national recognition for endpoint management optimization. Experienced with Zero Trust architectures and next-generation firewall platforms.

Zero Trust Palo Alto Cisco FTD Fortinet Sidewinder Bluecoat Proxy

Compliance & Risk Frameworks

Authored SSPs, COOP plans, and DR frameworks for classified and unclassified environments. Remediated 79 NIST 800-171 controls to restore DoD contract eligibility for a Defense Industrial Base client.

FedRAMP CMMC 2.0 NIST 800-53 NIST 800-171 RMF / A&A FISMA DISA STIGs

Network Architecture

Enterprise SME for USDA-wide SD-WAN covering hundreds of sites. Experienced with BGP routing, MTIPS planning, DNS/IPAM management, and network performance monitoring at federal scale.

SD-WAN Lumen CSG VeloCloud BGP Infoblox ThousandEyes

Identity & Access Management

Designed and operated hybrid Azure Active Directory and on-premises domain linkage for multi-site environments. Experienced with federated identity, conditional access policies, and privileged access management in DoD contexts.

Hybrid Azure AD On-Prem AD Federated Identity PAM MFA

IT/OT Convergence & Mission Readiness

Extensive experience bridging IT and operational technology in military and critical infrastructure settings. Designed and executed the ROSC 31A data center build-out with under three hours of downtime across 15 ANG units.

IT/OT Convergence Data Center Migration COOP DR Planning Mission Readiness

Notable Engagements

Selected mission-critical programs where technical leadership produced measurable outcomes.

USDA

Enterprise SD-WAN Program Authority

Served as enterprise SME for USDA-wide SD-WAN deployment. Managed the migration of 20+ cloud instances to the Lumen CSG platform, coordinating across agency stakeholders and vendor teams.

Wyoming Air National Guard

ROSC 31A Data Center Migration

Designed and executed a full data center build-out and migration achieving less than three hours of downtime across 15 ANG units — a result that preserved mission continuity during a critical transition window.

Celerium / DIB Client

NIST 800-171 Remediation & CMMC Readiness

Remediated 79 NIST 800-171 controls to restore DoD contract eligibility for a Defense Industrial Base client facing compliance risk. Managed subsequent migration to GCC-High to align with CMMC 2.0 requirements.

Air National Guard — National Level

SCCM Endpoint Management Optimization

Received national recognition from Air National Guard leadership for designing and optimizing the ANG's SCCM solution, driving enterprise-wide improvements to patch compliance and endpoint visibility across 50,000+ devices.

Numerica

Cloud Security Architecture

Led cloud security architecture engagements for a technology company operating in the defense sector, aligning cloud posture with NIST 800-53 controls and FedRAMP authorization boundaries.

Academic

IT & Cybersecurity Adjunct Faculty

Active adjunct faculty member instructing IT and cybersecurity curriculum, translating operational Federal and DoD experience directly into academic and professional development programs.


Credentials & Background

Certification

CISSP

Education

Doctorate in IT (DIT)

Military Service

E-8, SMS Ret. — WYANG

Experience

24+ Years Federal/DoD

Location

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Framework Fluency

NIST · FedRAMP · CMMC · RMF


Doctoral Research

Applied research at the intersection of federal compliance and cybersecurity operations.

NIST SP 800-171 Compliance in the Defense Industrial Base

Doctoral capstone research examining the application and practical challenges of NIST 800-171 across Defense Industrial Base organizations, with analysis of control implementation gaps and remediation strategies.

Download PDF

Connect

Available for Director, C-Suite, and senior cross-functional leadership engagements in Federal, DoD, and adjacent sectors.