Stanford’s People of Color in Technology (POC-IT) hosted a speaker series event in December with former Stanford employee and current vice president and chief information security officer (CISO) at Versant Health, Auston Davis. In a presentation titled, “A Road Taken to the Top Seat in CyberSecurity,” Auston shared his career journey and lessons learned along the way.
His early start
Auston’s initial plan was to join the Air Force, get a commission, become a pilot, and then become a commercial airline pilot when he retired. He enlisted in the Air Force at 17, serving in Intelligence Operations. While attending San Jose State University (SJSU), he worked part-time in the Stanford provost’s office. Although his duties there were primarily administrative, he gravitated toward fixing computer issues when they arose.
After he graduated from SJSU, he got a full-time job in the Stanford controller’s office systems group doing desktop support. He asked his manager at the time, Joe Riddle, why Joe took a chance on him when there were more qualified people for the job. Joe responded, “I took a chance on you because you have a great attitude and strong desire.”
To this day, Auston incorporates a similar viewpoint in his own hiring practices, saying “I would much rather take somebody that has a great attitude and a good foundational understanding, than somebody that knows everything but is not necessarily a nice person to work with.”
Career journey
During his time at the controller’s office, opportunity knocked from the Air Force. The pilot selection board was coming up, and a captain who would be sitting on the board asked if he was going to apply. Despite his initial desire to become a pilot, Auston admitted that he let fear, uncertainty and doubt creep in.
He replied to the captain, saying “It’s so competitive, I probably would not even have a chance.”
The captain’s response? “You’re right! If you tell yourself no, then that is the only possible outcome.”
Auston said this exchange showed him how the right leader can get through to someone. He applied and became an Air Force pilot.
Later, he left Stanford to work at a start-up company. When that company folded, he returned to Stanford’s Computer Resource Consulting (CRC) organization. Auston had his “aha!” moment about what he wanted to do with his career when Stanford suffered a major malware attack, something that wasn’t common at the time. Seeing everyone come together to solve this issue invigorated and excited him.
Now that he knew he wanted to work in information security, he also knew that he wasn’t qualified. Fortunately, the Stanford CISO at the time told him what he needed to learn so she could hire him in the future. Auston now uses this practice himself by telling people where they need to strengthen their experience and skills for future success.
Lessons learned
Auston spoke about not seeing a lot of people who looked like him in the roles he held, which meant he had to pave his own path. Throughout his career, he has held many roles including application technical services manager, application security, computer crime and counterintelligence investigations, and threat response. He has also worked in real estate finance, and for a credit card company and healthcare organizations. While not every role was ideal, he says “There’s an opportunity in every role that you’re in. Sometimes you can’t see it.”
When he received pushback for being a Black man leading an organization, he realized he had to choose between focusing on the pushback, or letting his leadership speak for itself. When asked what Stanford could do to attract BIPOC staff into underrepresented roles, he answered that the fact that IDEAL IT and POC-IT exist says a lot about the organization.
Drawing a parallel to his attempts to get more BIPOC children into aviation, he said that oftentimes it’s just getting someone who looks like you in certain roles.
Some other lessons Auston shared:
- If you think you can or can’t, you’re right
- Setbacks are setups for future opportunities
- You don’t have to go it alone
- Find a mentor
- Learn what you need to know and don’t stop learning
- There are several routes to the same destination. Be flexible
- Form an unwavering belief in yourself and choose your channel
- Know your worth!
- Turn your passions into solutions
- Don’t forget to enjoy life
Auston’s Zoom background during the event contained a montage of famous Black people throughout history. He titled it “Because of them, I am able…” In the future, expect to see Auston’s face in someone else’s montage.
Learn more
To learn more about Auston’s career journey and lessons learned, check out the recording here.
