Stephen J. Putnam

Chief Information Security Officer, Lead CMMC RP, Mission Multiplier | PhD, CISSP, PMP

Stephen is a seasoned cybersecurity executive, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and Registered Practitioner Organization (RPO) lead with more than 20 years of experience in Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity, Risk Management Framework (RMF), and enterprise IT operations, including over four years of dedicated CMMC 2.0 implementation and advisory leadership. He is the founder and driving force behind Mission Multiplier’s CMMC Enclave and RPO practice, where he leads organizations through complex compliance journeys with clarity, technical rigor, and measurable outcomes.

At Mission Multiplier, Stephen is known for his “operator-first” compliance philosophy: build security that works, prove it with evidence, and sustain it without disrupting the business. His leadership has helped organizations move confidently from uncertainty to assessor-ready compliance—turning CMMC from a perceived obstacle into a competitive advantage.

Stephen’s career spans senior executive leadership, large-scale federal program management, and hands-on cyber operations across the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Missile Defense Agency, and U.S. Cyber Command–aligned environments. He has successfully led cybersecurity and IT programs supporting thousands of users and hundreds of systems, including NIPRNET and SIPRNET environments, cloud and hybrid infrastructures, and mission-critical weapon-system-adjacent networks

As CISO and Lead RP for Mission Multiplier, Stephen architects and oversees turnkey CMMC Level 2 enclaves, guiding defense contractors through NIST SP 800-171 implementation, RMF alignment, evidence development, and assessor-ready sustainment strategies. His approach is deeply informed by decades of experience executing RMF Authorizations to Operate (ATOs), managing DISA STIG compliance, vulnerability management (IAVM/ACAS), incident response, and audit defense. Unlike compliance-only advisors, Stephen brings a practitioner’s mindset—ensuring controls are not only documented, but operational, defensible, and sustainable.

Previously, Stephen served as Vice President of IT Operations for a large federal contractor, where he provided executive oversight for 600+ IT and cybersecurity professionals across multiple major programs, defined enterprise security strategy, led large-scale cloud migrations with zero downtime, and reduced organizational IT costs by over 25% while improving security posture. Earlier roles as Program Manager and Program Director for Army and Air Force enterprise environments placed him directly responsible for RMF execution, cybersecurity inspections, CCRI readiness, and continuous monitoring operations, consistently delivering strong audit outcomes and mission assurance results

Stephen’s technical foundation is unusually deep for an executive leader. His background includes intrusion detection and incident response engineering, penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and hands-on security tooling across platforms such as ArcSight, Snort, Nessus, ACAS, eMASS, STIG Viewer, and Kali Linux. This operational experience allows him to translate regulatory requirements into real-world, technically sound implementations—a critical differentiator in CMMC engagements.

Stephen holds a PhD in Cybersecurity, an MBA, and a BBA in Project Management, along with elite industry certifications including CISSP, PMP, CAP, CEH, CNDA, LPT, Security+, Network+, and ITIL, among many others. Stephen also maintains an active Top Secret clearance, underscoring his longstanding trust relationship with the federal government and defense community