The SHIRPA Author

Denny Dean

Founder, Cyber Trust Labs | Creator of the SHIRPA Framework

Denny Dean is a seasoned cybersecurity, risk governance, and transformation leader with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations align enterprise commitments with real-world operational outcomes. He is the founder of Cyber Trust Labs (CTL) and creator of SHIRPA — Security, Hygiene, Information, Risk Posture Alignment, an enterprise cyber risk governance meta-framework designed to bring alignment between leadership intent, operational capability, and measurable outcomes.

Denny’s career spans financial services, healthcare, the defense industrial base (DIB), telecommunications, higher education, and state and local government. He has served in senior leadership roles, including Global CISO, Director of Defense Data Security, and numerous Fractional Executive/Virtual CISO positions, leading large-scale cybersecurity and compliance transformations across complex, multi-entity organizations. His work routinely bridges executive leadership, legal and compliance teams, IT and security operations, and front-line practitioners.

SHIRPA reflects Denny’s belief that security is more than a technical state—it is a human condition built on trust, clarity, and confidence. The framework helps organizations move beyond fragmented governance and compliance practices toward an integrated, outcome-driven approach to enterprise cyber risk governance.

Denny is a CISSP, CISM, and CISA, as well as a speaker and advisor to executive leadership teams and boards. Through SHIRPA.org, he is focused on advancing modern cyber risk governance and building a community of practitioners committed to greater trust, resilience, and alignment in cyberspace.