Laks Prabhala

Evaluator

DISC Type : csd

Chief Information Security Officer at U.S. Department of Transportation

Ashburn, Virginia, United States

Overview

Laks Prabhala is the Chief Information Security Officer for the U. S. Department of Transportation, leveraging over 25 years of leadership in federal and private sectors. A former CISO at the Department of Justice and Accenture Federal Services lead, he specializes in Zero Trust and cybersecurity strategy. People who have worked with him describe him as bright, effective, and a natural leader.

He is a passionate advocate for developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and has served with multiple organizations and universities to help build the cyber workforce. His career turned from a business to a mission-first focus after his initial CISO role, emphasizing public service and protecting national security.

He was honored with the SANS 2014 "Difference Makers Award" for leading the Department of Justices Next Generation Security and Secure Cloud initiatives.

Personality Overview

Fast But Analytical

Hard To Convince

Thorough Evaluator

They focus on the results, but can still be quite procedural and analytical about how to get there They have a unique set of diverse traits where they are decisive and methodical but can sometimes be extra cautious and skeptical They are not very likely to become strong advocates of your product or service

Topics They Care About

Federal Cybersecurity

As a multi-time CISO for federal agencies (DOT, DOJ), his career is centered on protecting national assets and driving mission-focused security solutions in the public sector.

Zero Trust Strategy

His roles at Accenture and Alpha Omega involved leading high-profile Zero Trust initiatives, and it is a core component of his professional headline and expertise.

Cyber Workforce Development

He is a passionate advocate for building the next generation of cyber teams and has worked with universities to develop cybersecurity centers of excellence.

Federal Cybersecurity: As a multi-time CISO for federal agencies (DOT, DOJ), his career is centered on protecting national assets and driving mission-focused security solutions in the public sector.

Zero Trust Strategy: His roles at Accenture and Alpha Omega involved leading high-profile Zero Trust initiatives, and it is a core component of his professional headline and expertise.

Cyber Workforce Development: He is a passionate advocate for building the next generation of cyber teams and has worked with universities to develop cybersecurity centers of excellence.

Media Appearances

Laks has no verified media appearances

Work History

9-2025

Chief Information Security Officer at U.S. Department of Transportation

1-2023 - 9-2025

Chief Information Security Officer at Alpha Omega Integration

3-2021 - 1-2023

Cybersecurity | Zero Trust | CISO Advisory Services Lead at Accenture Federal Services at Accenture Federal Services

3-2016 - 3-2021

Executive Vice President, CTO and CISO at IP Network Solutions Inc

2-2009 - 2-2016

Director and Chief Information Security Office (CISO), IT Security Division, OJP at Department of Justice

Education

2015 - 2015

Senior Executive Fellow from Harvard Kennedy School

6-1987 - 4-1989

MS from Drexel University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 37 Location : Ashburn, Virginia, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Chief Information Security Officer at U.S. Department of Transportation

<div class="break-inside-avoid"><h1 class="sect-head" style="display:inline-flex; align-items:center"><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="DISC profile is one of the most popular behavioral assessment frameworks in use. It is especially useful in understanding workplace behavior and how different people approach similar situations differently.">DISC Profile : Laks's Key Traits </div></h1><div class="disc_main personality_container" style="display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;"><figure class="highcharts-figure"> <div class="frrole_circle_label" style="position: absolute;top: calc(50% - 67.5px);left: calc(50% - 66.5px);">csd</div> <div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Dominance(D) reflects how goal and task oriented a person is and her ability to accomplish results, irrespective of how demanding the circumstances might be. Those scoring high tend to be motivated by winning, competition and success and can be described as direct, demanding and strong willed." style="position: absolute;top: -4%;left: calc(50% - 20px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff;background: linear-gradient(360deg, #f1828d, #d2527f); height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:1">D</div><div class="disclabel1" data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Influence(I) reflects the degree to which a person prefers to work by influencing or persuading others. Those scoring high tend to be people oriented, are motivated by social recognition and building relationships and can be described as warm and enthusiastic in general." style="position: absolute;right: 5%;top: calc(50% - 20px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff;background: linear-gradient(270deg, #fad859, #f7ca18); height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:1">I</div><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Steadiness(S) reflects the degree to which a person is likely to focus on cooperation, support and taking everyone along. Those scoring high tend to be consistent and calm, are excited about the opportunity to collaborate and partner and could sometimes be indecisive or overly accommodating." style="position: absolute;bottom: -4%;left: calc(50% - 20px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(180deg, #b7f4d8, #66cc99);height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:1">S</div><div class="disclabel2" data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Calculativeness(C) reflects the degree to which a person is likely to be cautious, systematic and analytical. Those scoring high tend to emphasise quality and accuracy, enjoy showing off their expertise or challenging assumptions but can sometimes overanalyze things and be overcritical." style="position: absolute;left: 5%;top: calc(50% - 20px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #848ccf, #524eb7);height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:1">C</div><div style="position: absolute;top: calc(50% - 106.5px);left: calc(50% - 106.5px);border-radius:50%;border: 1.5px dotted #c8c6c6;padding:105px"></div><div style="position: absolute;top: calc(50% - 135.5px);left: calc(50% - 135.5px);border-radius:50%;border: 1.5px dotted #c8c6c6;padding:133px"></div> <div id="disc_container"></div> </figure><div class="row traits-row" style="position: relative;width:70%;justify-content:flex-end;margin-right:10px"><div class="personality-cards col-md-10"><div class="personality-head">Calculativeness</div>Calculativeness(C) reflects the degree to which a person is likely to be cautious, systematic and analytical. Those scoring high tend to emphasise quality and accuracy, enjoy showing off their expertise or challenging assumptions but can sometimes overanalyze things and be overcritical.</div><div class="personality-cards col-md-10"><div class="personality-head">Steadiness</div>Steadiness(S) reflects the degree to which a person is likely to focus on cooperation, support and taking everyone along. Those scoring high tend to be consistent and calm, are excited about the opportunity to collaborate and partner and could sometimes be indecisive or overly accommodating.</div><div class="personality-cards col-md-10"><div class="personality-head">Dominance</div>Dominance(D) reflects how goal and task oriented a person is and her ability to accomplish results, irrespective of how demanding the circumstances might be. Those scoring high tend to be motivated by winning, competition and success and can be described as direct, demanding and strong willed.</div></div></div></div><div class="break-inside-avoid"><h1 class="sect-head" style="display:inline-flex; align-items:center"><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="OCEAN personality assessment, or Big 5 personality traits model, is the second most well-known behavioral assessment framework after MBTI. It provides a holistic way of understanding how people are and what to expect of them.">OCEAN Profile : Laks's Key Traits </div></h1><div class="ocean_main personality_container" style="display: flex;align-items: center;justify-content: center;"><figure class="highcharts-figure"> <div class="frrole_circle_label" style="position: absolute;top: calc(50% - 67.5px);left: calc(50% - 66.5px);">cna</div> <div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Openness(O) reflects the degree of intellectual curiosity, a desire to seek new experiences and a preference for novelty and variety. Those scoring high tend to be inventive, curious and open to trying new things whereas those scoring low tend to be consistent, cautious and more realistic in their approach." style="position: absolute;top: -7%;left: calc(50% - 12px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #963694, rgb(175,79,173));height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:0.72">O</div><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Conscientiousness(C) reflects the degree of self-discipline, focus on doing things in a planned manner and acting dutifully. Those scoring high are usually efficient, organized and focused whereas those scoring low tend to be easy-going, spontaneous and unreliable at times." style="position: absolute;right: 4%;top: calc(50% - 70px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(180deg, #f15a22, rgb(255,115,59));height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:0.72">C</div><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Extraversion(E) reflects the degree of assertiveness, sociability that an individual exhibits. People scoring high on extraversion tend to be outgoing, energetic and talkative whereas those scoring tend to be reserved, quiet and thoughtful, especially in social settings." style="position: absolute;bottom: 3%;left: calc(50% - -93px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(270deg, #bf55ec, rgb(216,110,255));height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:0.72">E</div><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Agreeableness(A) reflects the degree of compassion, cooperation and general friendliness in a person. Those scoring high are mostly even-tempered, pleasant and easy to convince whereas those scoring low tend to challenge and question things and are likely to have a contrarian attitude." style="position: absolute;left: 17%;top: calc(50% - -127px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(360deg, #be5683, rgb(215,111,156));height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:0.72">A</div><div data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" title="" data-original-title="Emotional Stability(ES) refers to the degree to which one can experience unpleasant emotions like anger, anxiety etc. easily. Those scoring high tend to be calm, stable and are not perturbed easily whereas those scoring low can be passionate, excitable and have low impulse control, especially under stressful circumstances. (Emotional Stability is same as Neuroticism rated on a reverse scale)" style="position: absolute;left: 5%;top: calc(50% - 70px);z-index: 2;cursor: pointer; border-radius: 50%; color:#fff; background: linear-gradient(360deg, #f62459, rgb(255,61,114));height: 30px;width: 30px;font-size: 14px;align-items: center;justify-content: center;display: flex;font-weight: bold;opacity:0.72">N</div><div style="position: absolute;top: calc(50% - 106.5px);left: calc(50% - 106.5px);border-radius:50%;border: 1.5px dotted #c8c6c6;padding:105px"></div><div style="position: absolute;top: calc(50% - 135.5px);left: calc(50% - 135.5px);border-radius:50%;border: 1.5px dotted #c8c6c6;padding:133px"></div> <div id="ocean_container"></div> </figure><div class="row traits-row" style="position: relative;width:70%;justify-content:flex-end;margin-right:10px"><div class="personality-cards col-md-10"><div class="personality-head">Conscientiousness</div>Conscientiousness(C) reflects the degree of self-discipline, focus on doing things in a planned manner and acting dutifully. Those scoring high are usually efficient, organized and focused whereas those scoring low tend to be easy-going, spontaneous and unreliable at times.</div><div class="personality-cards col-md-10"><div class="personality-head">Emotional Stability</div>Emotional Stability(ES) refers to the degree to which one can experience unpleasant emotions like anger, anxiety etc. easily. Those scoring high tend to be calm, stable and are not perturbed easily whereas those scoring low can be passionate, excitable and have low impulse control, especially under stressful circumstances. (Emotional Stability is same as Neuroticism rated on a reverse scale)</div><div class="personality-cards col-md-10"><div class="personality-head">Agreeableness</div>Agreeableness(A) reflects the degree of compassion, cooperation and general friendliness in a person. Those scoring high are mostly even-tempered, pleasant and easy to convince whereas those scoring low tend to challenge and question things and are likely to have a contrarian attitude.</div></div></div><hr class="divider-hr" style="margin-bottom:20px"></div>

Laks Prabhala

Chief Information Security Officer at U.S. Department of Transportation

Ashburn, Virginia, United States

Overview

Personality Overview

Topics They Care About

Media Appearances

Work History

Education

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Share

Insights For Selling To Laks

During A Call Or A Meeting

When Cold Calling

Pattern Interrupt: Speaking in a slightly hesitant manner, and seeking their permission at the start through a negation can get you a chance.

Pace: Speak slightly fast, especially if you tend to be calm and confident. Sound like a ‘knows their domain’ person.

Tone: Keep your tone slightly apprehensive, as if you are a little unsure about calling them.

Tactics To Win: Use of negations, giving full information

Mistakes To Avoid: Use of superlatives, overusing social proof

Making The Ask: Use negations, it is extra effective with them. It gives them a chance to say no, they like doing that.

Subconscious Driver: They believe they know a lot, so it needs to make sense as well as make them curious. They need to think that it is something worth investigation.

Greeting: Hi Laks, this is [user_fname] at [user_companynamefirsttwowords].

Opener: You probably don’t want to be on this cold call, would it be a problem if I asked for 30 seconds of your time?

Introduction: My company has leveraged 30+ years of research to build an AI that can predict anyone's personality, behavior and decision-making style before you even spend a minute with them.

Ask: Companies like [abc], [xyz] have been able to move [KPI1] by X% and [KPI2] by Y%. Would it be too much to put 15 minutes on your calendar to share why this could be high ROI for you?

Close: Can I suggest [time1] on [date1]? Or would you prefer any other slots? And [prospect_email] would be the right email ID for you?

When Writing An Email

Subject: Precise

Salutation: Yes (Something formal)

Greeting: Yes (Say something formal/usual)

Emojis/GIFs:

Bullet Points: Recommended

Closing Line: Logically summarize/ask

Complimentary Close: Formal

Tone of Words: Objective, informational

Overall Messaging: Focused on removing doubts

Length of Mail: Medium

While Negotiating & Closing

The secret to closing fast with Laks is

Will you ever get a clear answer from Laks

Insights For Deal Planning

How fast (or slow) will Laks move?

Can Laks take some risk or not?

You And Laks

Personality Compatibility

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