Romeo Gardner, CISSP in

Romeo Gardner, CISSP

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Adjunct at Virginia Commonwealth University
📍 Stafford, Virginia, United States

Romeo Gardner is the Founder and CEO of Nehlos, a cybersecurity firm, bringing over 20 years of experience from roles at the White House Communications Agency and Microsoft. He holds a Doctor of Education and focuses on making cybersecurity accessible and understandable, blending national security expertise with a passion for effective, human-centric training.

Outside of his professional roles, Romeo is a dedicated educator, serving as an adjunct instructor at multiple universities and developing programs for K-12 students. He is passionate about mentorship, overcoming imposter syndrome, and advocating for diversity in the cybersecurity field. His personal mantra is "to be a conduit over a container."

He is on a mission to educate one million people in cybersecurity, a goal that fuels his company, teaching, and public speaking engagements.

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Experience
7 Years
Current Role
Adjunct
Job Level
Leadership
Location
Stafford, Virginia, United States
Personality Overview

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Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

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Priorities

Topics Romeo cares about

Cybersecurity in Schools
A passionate advocate for making cybersecurity a mandatory subject in schools, as highlighted in his 2025 TEDx talk, "Ctrl + Alt + Teach."
Engaging Security Training
Believes compliance checklists are ineffective and champions training that is engaging and even humorous, viewing employees as a key security asset, not just a risk.
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Career

Work history

1-2026
Adjunct
Virginia Commonwealth University
2-2020
CISSP Official Training Instructor
idc
12-2019 - 1-2026
Adjunct Faculty Instructor (Cybersecurity)
University of Mary Washington
9-2018
Founder and CEO
Nehlos
Technical Delivery Team Manager
Microsoft
In the press

Media appearances

Romeo Gardner – Tech Field Day Profile (Adjunct Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University). Featured in Tech Field Day
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Mr. Romeo Gardner CISSP – ISC2 Event Page (Adjunct, Virginia Commonwealth University). Featured in ISC2 Events
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Education
2021 - 2027
Doctor of Education - EdD
Liberty University
2018 - 2020
Master of Science - MS
Excelsior University
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

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