I’m Don Cowan, a cybersecurity professional with a passion for learning, building, and breaking things.

Academic Background

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and am currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Cybersecurity from the University of Tulsa.

During my undergraduate years, I was heavily involved with competitive learning teams and CTF competitions, serving as President of Root 66 Tulsa Cyber Club, a student organization focused on cybersecurity education and competition.

Competitive Learning Teams:

• Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) - Team Captain
  • 2024 - 2025: Regional 3rd Place
  • 2022 - 2023: Global Competitors
• Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) - Team Member
  • 2023 - 2024: Regional Competitors
  • 2022 - 2023: Regional 2nd Place
• NCAE Cyber Games - Team Captain
  • 2022 - 2023: 1st Place Regional
• CTF - Infrastructure Lead
  • 2022 - 2024: TUCTF

Key Competition Takeaways:

• CPTC - Communication with clients and presentation of technical information in a professional manner.
• CCDC - Teamwork and communication in a time sensitive environment. Linux systems administration and networking.
• NCAE - Linux administration, networking, and scripting
• CTF - Technical skills such as: Container orchestration, CI/CD, Secure Development, and Cloud Infrastructure.

Professional Background

• Hacker @ IBM X-Force Red August 2025-Present
• Student Systems Administrator @ The University of Tulsa School of Cyber Studies August 2024-May 2025
• Hacker Intern @ IBM X-Force Red May 2024-August 2024
• Cybersecurity Intern @ Oneok October 2023-May 2024
• Cybersecurity Intern @ Magellan Midstream Partners May 2023-October 2023
• Security Analyst @ The University of Tulsa Mar 2022-May 2024