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“I am very excited to be joining Optm and taking care of my state of CA family,” Ross told Industry Insider — California in an email. “Having spent 20-plus years in the public sector, this role provides me with the opportunity to reconnect and partner with the best of the best people I know in CA.”
Ross has a deep background in serving state and local government and education. Most recently, she was a sales manager with Zscaler and, before that, she held similar roles with Splunk, Fortinet, Symantec and Intel, among others.
Jeff Smith, president of Optm West, said he’s excited that Ross has joined his team.
“After 25 years of working with the state on security products, reviews on Leslie have been mixed. Some love her, while others … REALLY love her!” Smith told Industry Insider in an email. “A big reason she is so well-respected is that she not only has great experience, but also great perspective. She has seen firsthand the shifts and changes that have led to today’s cyber initiatives and is an expert in navigating the landscape. We are very excited to welcome Leslie to our growing team.”
In Ross’s LinkedIn profile, the Nevada resident describes herself as “a cyber enthusiast with over 25 years of service” to state government, and she adds that she’s “passionate about helping women to achieve their fullest potentials.” Among her strengths, she cites security, network security, data security and cloud computing.
