U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Blog

Was this page helpful?

Spotlight on Commerce: Sandranette Moses, Chief Information Security Officer and Development Team Leader, U.S. Economic Development Administration

Guest blog by Sandranette Moses, Chief Information Security Officer and Development Team Leader, U.S. Economic Development Administration

I serve as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Development Team Leader at the Commerce Department’s U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). I have served as the CISO at EDA for over 20 years. I am directly involved with all of EDA’s IT modernization projects currently underway. 

I was raised in Brooklyn, New York. My family moved to Portsmouth, Virginia, which is where my mother is originally from, after my first year in high school. I attended college at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, and have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with a minor in Business. My parents always instilled in my siblings and me the importance of education and pushed us to take advantage of the opportunities our education provided.   

Since then, I have continued to seek more knowledge through education and training opportunities. I have earned several professional certifications including Oracle Developer, Oracle Database Administrator, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundation. 

I believe in giving back to the community and serving others. I do this by being active in my church and sorority. I am energetically involved in my church, Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, and have served in the Ebenezer Liturgical Dance Ministry since 2001 in many leadership roles. I am also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first black sorority, established in 1908. Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of ‘Service to All Mankind.’ I am also proudly involved in my sorority graduate chapter, Psi Epsilon Omega (PEO), and have served in several leadership roles.

Whenever I meet young people starting their careers, I encourage them to do something that they love. I believe if you are doing something you love, it makes the work easier and helps sustain you through the challenges you may encounter in your career. I also urge today’s youth to work in a field that they’re passionate about, even if it’s not the exact position or level you wanted. If you work hard, it can lead to something bigger and it will get noticed and rewarded, and lead to new opportunities. It’s also important to remember you cannot work alone in the process; you must learn to work with others along the way. When you work as a team member, this will lead you to success. This holds especially true in the IT world.  

Below is a quote that I like named “Working Together” that holds in my career path:

Coming Together Is a Beginning

Keeping Together Is Progress

Working Together Is Success

Author: Unknown

Black History Month is a time to celebrate and reflect on the rich culture and contributions that African Americans have made to our great nation. In celebration of Black History Month, I salute the African Americans that have come before me. These are the shoulders I stand on. These great people that have come before me have allowed me to be in the roles I hold today and dream of future possibilities. I work hard every day to make them proud. To be a good example for other African Americans coming after me, by always seeking ways to improve myself and what I can accomplish.

Ed. note: This post is part of the Spotlight on Commerce series highlighting the contributions of Department of Commerce African Americans during Black History Month.