KLOperations Manager

I’m Keith Loparnos, exploring my next career move

Early-career professional deciding whether to shift fields; curious, practical, and open to new directions.

Work samples

Projects and learning pieces that reflect my early-career experience and the areas I am exploring for a potential career change.

GRC Risk Assessment & Control Mapping | Tri-State Financial Services
GRC Risk Assessment & Control Mapping | Tri-State Financial Services
Developed an asset inventory and risk register to identify, assess, and prioritize cybersecurity risks within a fictional financial services environment. Mapped identified risks to applicable security controls using NIST CSF 2.0 and ISO/IEC 27001, documenting control objectives and implementation considerations. Performed a GRC gap assessment comparing current and desired security states and developed a remediation plan with priorities, responsible owners, target timeframes, and success criteria. Created an ISO/IEC 27001 Statement of Applicability (SoA) documenting control applicability, justification, implementation status, responsible owners, and evidence references.
NIST CSF 2.0ISO/IEC 27001
Incident Response Planning
Incident Response Planning
Developed a customized enterprise Incident Response Plan aligned with NIST SP 800-61 Rev.2 – Computer Security Incident Handling Guide. Translated incident response requirements into documented procedures, roles, responsibilities, and escalation workflows. Coordinated security, legal, management, vendors, and business stakeholders to support incident response planning, documentation, and operational readiness.
NIST SP 800-61 Rev.2
Organizational System and Application Security Procedures
Organizational System and Application Security Procedures
Developed and standardized an organizational-wide cybersecurity policy framework covering access control, incident response, data protection, risk management, and compliance. Mapped cybersecurity policies and controls to NIST CSF 2.0, NIST 800-53, and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements to support compliance and audit readiness. Established a governance process for maintaining current, enforceable policies and procedures aligned with business requirements and security objectives.
NIST CSF 2.0NIST 800-53ISO/IEC 27001
Bachelor’s Capstone in Cybersecurity | Incident Response Team
Bachelor’s Capstone in Cybersecurity | Incident Response Team
Collaborated with a 5-person incident response team to manage a high-severity simulated worm and DDoS event in alignment with NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2 guidelines. Supported containment, eradication, and recovery efforts by isolating affected systems, updating firewall rules, and applying DDoS mitigation controls to limit business impact. Assessed and classified the incident based on severity and operational risk, ensuring response actions follow organizational policy and compliance standards. Co-authored a concise employee notification outlining outage details, device isolation instructions, and help desk escalation procedures to maintain clear communication during the incident.
NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2

About me

Early-career professional deciding whether to shift fields; curious, practical, and open to new directions.

I am Keith Loparnos. I have started my career and am exploring a career change, weighing options and next steps as I decide on a new direction.

Experience

Operations Manager

JGL Fine Foods, Inc. · 1997 – Present

Education

Purdue University Global

Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity · Class of 2025

St. John’s University

Bachelor of Science in Finance · Class of 2005

Skills

Career explorationSelf-assessmentLearning new toolsProject work from early career

Back to work

GRC Risk Assessment & Control Mapping | Tri-State Financial Services

Developed an asset inventory and risk register to identify, assess, and prioritize cybersecurity risks within a fictional financial services environment. Mapped identified risks to applicable security controls using NIST CSF 2.0 and ISO/IEC 27001, documenting control objectives and implementation considerations. Performed a GRC gap assessment comparing current and desired security states and developed a remediation plan with priorities, responsible owners, target timeframes, and success criteria. Created an ISO/IEC 27001 Statement of Applicability (SoA) documenting control applicability, justification, implementation status, responsible owners, and evidence references.

NIST CSF 2.0ISO/IEC 27001

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Incident Response Planning

Developed a customized enterprise Incident Response Plan aligned with NIST SP 800-61 Rev.2 – Computer Security Incident Handling Guide. Translated incident response requirements into documented procedures, roles, responsibilities, and escalation workflows. Coordinated security, legal, management, vendors, and business stakeholders to support incident response planning, documentation, and operational readiness.

NIST SP 800-61 Rev.2

View all work

Back to work

Organizational System and Application Security Procedures

Developed and standardized an organizational-wide cybersecurity policy framework covering access control, incident response, data protection, risk management, and compliance. Mapped cybersecurity policies and controls to NIST CSF 2.0, NIST 800-53, and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements to support compliance and audit readiness. Established a governance process for maintaining current, enforceable policies and procedures aligned with business requirements and security objectives.

NIST CSF 2.0NIST 800-53ISO/IEC 27001

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Back to work

Bachelor’s Capstone in Cybersecurity | Incident Response Team

Collaborated with a 5-person incident response team to manage a high-severity simulated worm and DDoS event in alignment with NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2 guidelines. Supported containment, eradication, and recovery efforts by isolating affected systems, updating firewall rules, and applying DDoS mitigation controls to limit business impact. Assessed and classified the incident based on severity and operational risk, ensuring response actions follow organizational policy and compliance standards. Co-authored a concise employee notification outlining outage details, device isolation instructions, and help desk escalation procedures to maintain clear communication during the incident.

NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2

View all work