Technology Leaders Dinner

Ernie Magnotti is the CISO with Leonardo DRS, a $2.5 billion cleared defense contractor of 6500 employees headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. In this role, Ernie leads the DRS Cyber Security program, providing all aspects of information assurance, including detection, response, compliance, governance and risk management. As a strong believer in industry collaboration, Ernie personally supports cyber security outreach opportunities wherever possible, especially downstream in the supply chain of the Defense Industrial Base. Ernie also believes in the importance of cyber awareness, and spends considerable time traveling to DRS manufacturing sites nationwide providing in-person training to DRS employees. Ernie is a CISSP-ISSMP, a certified ITIL Expert, and holds a master’s degree in cyber security from Valpariaso University. Ernie recently became a fellow at the Institute for Critical Information Technology in Washington D.C.  

         In 1997, Ernie launched a web development/hosting company, and he’s been in IT operations and cyber security ever since. In 2006, he joined Leonardo DRS as an IT operations manager and quickly moved up in the organization to fill critical roles in IT and cyber security. He became the DRS CISO in 2014 after he led the consolidation of DRS IT in 2013.  As DRS CISO, Ernie established the DRS cyber security program growing it to become a critical element of DRS’s award-winning industrial security program.  

         A seasoned professional, Ernie has more than 34 years of experience in telecommunications. In addition to a master’s degree in cyber security, Ernie received an his undergraduate in Radio and Television from the University of Arizona. He worked as a sales engineer for Sony for over 10 years, providing broadcast television equipment to television stations across the U.S. As a sales engineer, Ernie honed his skills in business acumen and persuasion, which has served him well in his technical leadership roles throughout his career.

         Ernie and his wife Terri have been married over 30 years. They live in the Dallas area. They have two children: Zachary, a senior at Texas A&M University and Shelly, a sophomore at Edward S. Marcus High School. Ernie and his family enjoy traveling together, especially to the Rocky Mountains where they love to hike, ski, and Jeep. Ernie is also an avid fresh water fisherman.