Charlene Knisely is a Security Delivery Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services with over 12 years of experience in cybersecurity risk management, governance, and compliance. She currently leads the Cyber Strategy & Compliance team supporting the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer in a Cabinet-level agency. Her responsibilities include strategy & policy, cybersecurity awareness & training, enterprise cyber risk management, Federal reporting & compliance, collaboration tools, and business operations. Charlene supports growth and delivery objectives by focusing on innovative thought leadership and building strong client relationships. She also ensures her team of 25+ cybersecurity professionals have the knowledge, tools, and capabilities needed to do their jobs, by providing mentorship, project and training opportunities, and work-life balance.
Prior to joining AFS, Charlene was a Cybersecurity Portfolio Lead for ActioNet, an Information Security Audit Lead for Digital Global Connectors, an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, and a Cybersecurity Analyst for Trowbridge & Trowbridge, LLC.
Previous to her work in cybersecurity, Charlene worked in the healthcare field as a medical technologist, which shaped her approach to managing clients and teams through compassion and empathy. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Project Management Professional (PMP).
Charlene lives in Gaithersburg, MD with her husband, two children, and two dogs. She spends her free time ferrying her children around to various extracurricular activities, reading as many books as she can, and obsessively taking Pilates classes.