University of Maryland Global Campus
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Cybersecurity Management and Policy
ld.herrera@faculty.umgc.edu
Curriculum Vitae
LD Herrera, PhD
Adjunct Assistant Professor and cybersecurity scholar-practitioner with 35+ years of IT leadership experience, a PhD in Cyber Defense, an MBA, and professional certifications in security, governance, and privacy.
Academic Appointments
Education
Capitol Technology University, Laurel, MD
PhD Forensic Cyberpsychology - in progress
Dakota State University, Madison, SD
PhD Cyber Defense. Dissertation: Victims' Voices: Toward a National Romance Scam Support Model.
Dakota State University, Madison, SD
University of Maryland Global Campus, Adelphi, MD
University of Maryland Global Campus, Adelphi, MD
Certifications and Awards
CIPP/US
Certified Information Privacy Professional.
CISM
Certified Information Security Manager.
Graduate Research Assistant
Funded by National Science Foundation Award #1828302.
CISSP
Certified Information Systems Security Professional.
Research Experience
Social Technology and Safety Foundation / Romance Scam Research Center: Founder and Lead Researcher
Leads a research-first public hub that curates romance scam publications, develops living evidence syntheses, and uses transparent AI-assisted workflows to make findings, methods, limitations, and research gaps easier to inspect.
Graduate Research Assistant - Dakota State University
Advisor: Dr. Ashley Podhradsky. Topic: artificial intelligence enhancements to scams targeting older adults.
Doctoral Dissertation - Dakota State University
Victims' Voices: Toward a National Romance Scam Support Model. Developed evidence toward a national, victim-centered support model for romance scam victims.
Professional Experience
Expert Approach, Inc.: President and CEO
Leads custom software development and data management engagements for small and mid-sized organizations and federal agencies.
LDS Consulting, Inc.: Consultant, President, and CEO
Provided database, web, server, and network consulting for small businesses.
WebCo Publishing: IT Manager
Managed information technology operations for a large commercial printing and digital prepress company.
Alegent Health: Lead Microcomputer Analyst
Led workstation replacement deployments across two major hospitals.
Union Pacific Railroad: National Help Desk Team Leader and Network Administrator
Led national help desk service for 7,000 users and provided advanced technical support for high-priority users.
C & A Industries, Inc.: Network Administrator
Administered networks, developed FoxPro database applications, and provided technical support across multiple subsidiary companies.
Guarantee Trust Life Insurance: PC Technician
Designed and implemented the company's first PC-based IBM Token Ring network, connecting 25 PCs to mainframe systems through terminal emulation.