The Intersection of Theory and Practice

Welcome to the primary site of Steven R. Walton, Ph.D., CISSP.

I am a Senior Cybersecurity Manager leading a team that defends the network infrastructure of research and education institutions across the state. My daily focus is entirely practical: strategic risk management, threat mitigation, and the harsh realities of securing SLED environments on tight budgets.

My recent doctoral research examines the cyber hygiene habits of K-12 technology directors. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and the health belief model, I look at the human element of cybersecurity. Specifically, why do vulnerabilities persist in schools even when the right policies are on paper?

You will find my core professional work here, focusing on:

Where else to find my work:
To keep things organized, I split my content based on what you are looking for:

More publications, research, and guidance will be added over time.