Mike Wills, SSCP, CISSP, CAMS, has spent more than 40 years as a computer systems architect, programmer, security specialist, database designer, consultant, and teacher (among other duties). Starting out as a bit of a phone phreak in his college days, he sharpened his skills on the 1960s generation of mainframes and minicomputers, just in time for the first 8080 and Z80 microprocessors to fuel the home computer revolution. Learning about the ARPANET just added spice to that mix. Since then, he's had ones, zeros, and now qubits under his fingernails too many times to count, whether as part of his jobs, his teaching, or his hobbies.

Mike earned his BS and MS degrees in computer science, both with minors in electrical engineering, from the Illinois Institute of Technology; and his MA in defence studies from King's College, London. He is a graduate of the Federal Chief Information Officer program at National Defense University and the Program Manager's Course at Defense Systems Management College.

As an Air Force officer, Mike served in the National Reconnaissance Office, building and flying some of the most complex, cutting-edge space-based missions large and small. As a “ground control” guy, he specialized in the design, operation, and support of highly secure, globe-spanning command, control, communications and intelligence systems that support U.S. and Coalition missions around the world. These duties often required Mike to “optimize” his way around the official configuration management and security safeguards—all on official business, of course.

Because no good deed goes unpunished, he then spent two years on the Joint Staff as a policy and budget broker for all command, control, and communications systems, and then taught in the School of Information Warfare and Strategy at National Defense University. He's taught at senior leader colleges in both the United States and United Kingdom and has been a continuing guest lecturer at the UK's Defence Academy. He served as advisor to the United Kingdom's Joint Intelligence Committee, Ministry of Justice, and Defence Science and Technology Laboratories on the national and personal security implications of science and technology policy; this led to him sometimes being known as the United Kingdom's nonresident expert on outer space law.

Mike is the author of the SSCP Official Study Guide 2nd Edition. Along with his SSCP and CISSP, Mike is also a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

Currently he is an assistant professor of applied information technologies in the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus, where he is the change leader and academic visionary behind bringing the Microsoft Software and Systems Academy program into ERAU's classrooms at 13 locations around the United States. Prior to this, Mike helped create two new master of science degrees—information security and assurance, and management of information systems—and was program chair of both during their launch and first year of teaching. He also taught in Worldwide's Security and Intelligence Studies program during its 2005 launch in ERAU's European Division.

Mike and his wife Nancy currently call Montevideo, Uruguay, their home. Living abroad since the end of the last century, they find new perspectives, shared values, and wonderful people wherever they go. As true digital nomads, it's getting time to move again. Where to? They'll find out when they get there.