Leadership

Leo Hauguel, CISSP, NSA-IAM

Founder, SDSUG

(2001 – Present)

Leo J. Hauguel, CISSP, NSA‑IAM, is the Founder of the Sonoran Desert Security User Group (SDSUG), which he established on September 25, 2001. Recognizing the need for a practitioner‑driven community where security professionals could share knowledge, skills, and support, Leo built SDSUG into one of Arizona’s longest‑standing and most respected security groups. Over more than two decades, he cultivated a network representing hundreds of organizations and more than 1,500 members across the Greater Phoenix area.

Leo brings over 58 years of IT experience and almost 60 years in information security, with deep expertise in mainframe security, enterprise access control systems, risk assessment, and business continuity planning. His technical background includes extensive work with ACF2, Top Secret, RACF, AS/400 security, LAN/WAN environments, wireless security, and emerging technologies.

Before founding SDSUG, Leo held senior security roles at major organizations including Wells Fargo, Banc One (now JPMorgan Chase), Unisys, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chiquita Brands International, and Honeywell (formerly Allied Signal and Bendix). His responsibilities spanned mainframe security administration, enterprise risk assessments, standards development, emergency management planning, and global security program implementation.

Leo also serves as the owner of LJH Security Consulting Services, providing security consulting, risk evaluation, and compliance review for organizations across the region. Since 2014, he has been an Adjunct Instructor in the IT/Business Department at Glendale Community College, supporting the next generation of security professionals.

Throughout SDSUG’s history, Leo has maintained strong partnerships with educational institutions, industry organizations, and community charities. Under his leadership, SDSUG has supported St. Mary’s Food Bank and Dogs4Vets for more than a decade, and has collaborated with meeting site partners including the University of Advancing Technology and Rio Salado Community College.

Leo’s long‑standing commitment to the Arizona security community has shaped SDSUG into a trusted, practitioner‑first institution grounded in collaboration, integrity, and shared expertise.

To learn more about Leo’s legacy and the history of SDSUG, visit the Our Founder page.

Hunter Storm, CISO | Advisory Board Member | SOC Black Ops Team | Systems Architect | Originator of Human-Layer Security

President, SDSUG

(2026 – Present)

Hunter Storm is the President of the Sonoran Desert Security User Group (SDSUG), a veteran Fortune 100 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), systems architect, and field‑originator whose work spans cybersecurity, AI, quantum technology, and hybrid socio‑technical threat surfaces. She is the creator of Human‑Layer Security and the foundational framework Hacking Humans: The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering (1994–2007), the first known human attack‑surface framework in the world and the earliest formal architecture describing human‑system vulnerabilities, adversarial behavior, and cognitive‑technical exploitation.

She also originated the term “hacking humans,” which later propagated into adjacent fields, including the biohacking community beginning in 2008.

Across three decades in global enterprises—including Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, American Express, Bank One, Alcoa, SDI / Daicel, and CompuCom—Hunter has operated at the intersection of cyber‑physical risk, platform governance, and complex socio‑technical systems. Her work includes crisis leadership at national‑infrastructure scale, enterprise‑wide security transformation, and high‑stakes operational decision‑making in environments where accuracy and foresight are essential.

Hunter is the originator of The Storm Project: AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence (2023-2026), a multi‑disciplinary research initiative exploring AI behavioral psychology, adversarial modeling, quantum‑era risk, and emerging intelligence systems. She also pioneered the first global forensic mapping of digital repression architecture through her project Viewpoint Discrimination by Design | First Forensic Mapping of Global Repression Architecture, documenting systemic suppression patterns across platforms and institutions.

A recognized global Subject Matter Expert (GLG Top 1%), Hunter advises board members, executives, founders, and institutional leaders across technology, finance, and consulting. She contributes to ANSI X9, FS‑ISAC, NIST, and QED‑C, shaping standards, policy, and strategy in cybersecurity, financial systems, and quantum technologies. As a QED‑C TAC Relationship Leader, she bridged industry, research, and standards bodies on post‑quantum cryptography, QKD, QRNG, and quantum ethics.

She is a member of the ISARA Corporation Advisory Board, where she provides strategic guidance on post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) adoption, governance considerations, and long‑horizon security posture. Her career includes services on the Texas A&M University–Commerce Computer Science Advisory Board, where she advises on curricula and strategic initiatives in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technology. She is a Mensa member and recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, recognized for long‑standing contributions to technology, innovation, and global cybersecurity. She is also a member of InfraGard, a vetted public–private partnership supporting critical infrastructure protection.

Hunter’s work is grounded in both technical mastery and real‑world operational resilience. She has navigated and mapped hybrid threat environments, led elite SOC Black Ops initiatives, architected enterprise‑scale security systems, and delivered strategic intelligence across cyber, physical, and psychological domains. Her frameworks, methodologies, and original research continue to influence modern cybersecurity, cognitive security, behavioral threat modeling, and emerging AI‑human collaboration practices.

As President of SDSUG, Hunter leads the organization’s modernization, governance, and practitioner‑first mission. She architected and executed the 2026 Website Architecture and Modernization Project — designing, authoring, and implementing the full digital ecosystem, including its information architecture, identity standards, accessibility framework, governance model, and content strategy.

Hunter rebuilt SDSUG’s online presence from a single‑page legacy site into a 25‑page institutional platform launched on February 8, 2026, ensuring clarity, neutrality, and long‑term stability. She also secured new sponsorship (ISARA), established community partnerships (InfraGard Arizona, Caliber Security), and integrated Caliber Security’s Happy Hour event series into SDSUG’s ecosystem — strengthening the Southwest’s longest‑running security community and positioning it for the next decade of growth.

To learn more about Hunter Storm and her leadership and guidance of SDSUG’s strategic direction, visit the President page.

Debbie Christofferson, CISM, CISSO, CIPP/IT, CSA’S Generative AI – Sapphire-Security Services LLC

Vice President (VP), SDSUG

(2026 – Present)

Debbie Christofferson is the Vice President (VP) of the Sonoran Desert Security User Group (SDSUG), a strategic security leader and senior cybersecurity consultant with more than 25 years of global experience in enterprise security, risk management, and security auditing. A former Fortune 500 Enterprise Information Security Manager, she has led worldwide security initiatives and brings broad, comprehensive expertise across the security lifecycle.

Debbie is the author of Women in Security (2018) and has facilitated CISM certification exam preparation workshops for 13 years, beginning with the certification’s inception. She speaks and writes on cybersecurity and women‑in‑security topics, and leads both virtual and onsite security and IT education programs.

Her industry leadership includes a decade of service on the ISSA International Board of Directors, recognition as a Distinguished Fellow, and eight years as chair of the Advisory Council for the CISO Executive Forum. She is the founder of Arizona’s Cloud Security Alliance chapter and a long‑time leader of ISSA’s Women in Security group.

Debbie recently completed three years on the ISSA Phoenix Chapter Board of Directors, helping revitalize the chapter post‑pandemic; the chapter earned Chapter of the Year in 2025. She previously served ten years on the Phoenix Chapter Board — including four years as President — during which the chapter also earned Chapter of the Year and launched its inaugural conference. She has additionally led two conferences for ATW Southwest.

Her broader community involvement includes board roles with ISC2 Phoenix and ATW Arizona, and four years of service with the Sonoran Desert Security User Group (SDSUG). Debbie holds the CISM and CISSP certifications, previously held the CIPP/IT, and has earned certificates in cloud security (CCSK) and CSA’s Generative AI.

To learn more about Debbie Christofferson and her role in SDSUG’s operational leadership, visit the Vice President page.

Brian Simper

Membership Chair, SDSUG

(2019 – Present)

Brian Simper is the Membership Chair of the Sonoran Desert Security User Group (SDSUG), an information security professional with more than two decades of experience across network security, security operations, and enterprise IT environments. His background includes long‑term roles supporting large financial institutions, technology organizations, and consulting clients throughout Arizona.

Brian currently works as a Security Engineer at MUFG Bank, where he manages the web application firewall platform, focusing on commercial banking traffic and application‑layer protection. His prior experience includes roles as a Senior Information Security Engineer at Wells-Fargo, Republic Services, Data Shield, Apollo Group, Intel, and an independent IT consulting business.

He holds a Master of Computer Science in Computer Engineering from Arizona State University.

As SDSUG’s Membership Chair, Brian supports member engagement, onboarding, and community continuity, helping maintain the group’s long‑standing practitioner‑first culture.

To learn more about Brian Simper and his role in member engagement and continuity, visit the Membership Chair page.