I started at CDC in 2013 as an intern while finishing my Master's degree at Jacksonville
State University in Alabama, where I was a cheerleader and mascot.
Today, I work in CDC's Cybersecurity Program Office as a senior system administrator.
I'm also essentially a cyber detective.
It's my job to spend every day on constant alert.
I start each day searching for potential threats to CDC's network.
Have new vulnerabilities been exposed?
Have there been any global cybersecurity events that might be a threat to us?
This type of research is critical because we can use it to hunt down malicious activity
to defend CDC users, systems, data, and services that save lives.
I also manage the application we use to investigate and provide alerts about malicious activity.
In a nutshell, I help protect the science.
I have several hobbies, including woodworking, leatherworking, and smelting metal.
These activities help me to momentarily escape the digital chaos and justified paranoia that
comes from working in cybersecurity.
If I didn't work in cybersecurity at CDC, I'd probably just put on a plaid shirt and
go be a lumberjack.
I love my job because I feel what I do actually makes a difference.
I'm Thomas Brookshire and I AM CDC!