On July 12, Tammy Hornsby-Fink, the Federal Reserve System's chief information security officer (CISO), received the first-ever ORBIE® award in the CISO Public Sector category.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized among an incredibly talented and dedicated group of CISOs in the Capital region,” Hornsby-Fink said. “With that said, this achievement is not mine alone. It is a reflection of the world-class team I have the privilege to work with at the Fed along with collaborative industry colleagues. I am proud and thankful to be part of a community dedicated to safeguarding our digital world.”
Tammy Hornsby-Fink has served as System CISO since 2019. She oversees the Federal Reserve’s information security strategy, policies, programs, and incident response capabilities. Her team consists of over 300 security professionals who focus on various areas including security policy, incident response, threat intelligence, forensics, business continuity, enterprise risk management, and finance for National IT.
“Tammy is a consummate expert in understanding our security and technology infrastructure and the business of the Federal Reserve,” Federal Reserve System CIO Ghada Ijam wrote in her letter nominating Tammy for the award. “Daily, she is accountable for the security people, processes and technology that support more than $5 trillion a day in payments and the 10,000 financial institutions that we interface with to provide payments across the nation. Her responsibilities also include the Fed’s role as fiscal agent for the U.S. Treasury, which includes processing more than $4 billion a day in Treasury transactions.”
Hornsby-Fink began her technology career supporting Department of Defense communications and computer systems in the Air Force. After co-founding an IT consulting firm, she joined the Fed in 2003 and is currently the longest-serving member of its National IT leadership team.
“Credibility requires connection and trust. Building on trusted partnerships with teams and business partners, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to lead critical change through influence,” said Hornsby-Fink. “Understanding that people trust leaders who not only articulate their values and intentions but also consistently demonstrate them through their actions has enabled me to be not only the leader they needed but also the leader they wanted.”
In addition to her professional duties, Hornsby-Fink is active in public service. She has served on the board of directors for United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg since 2019. Within the Fed, she co-founded and serves as an executive co-sponsor of Women in Technology community practice and is a member of Richmond Fed’s Executive Diversity & Inclusion Council.
For over 25 years, CapitalCIO ORBIE® Awards have recognized technology executives for leadership, innovation, and excellence. This year marked their first recognition of CISOs.
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