Leonard Moss
Chief Security Officer, Insider Threat Program Senior Official & Security Services Department Head, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory works closely with the government, meaning its staff must report any foreign travel. For years, this meant completing multiple foreign travel notifications, which was time consuming and labor intensive.
Looking for a better way, Leonard Moss’ team partnered with APL’s Information Technology Services Department to develop a web-based tool that streamlines the reporting process, to great success. SIMS Software recently obtained the rights to provide this tool to the broader national security community.
Additionally, APL has one of the largest protective distribution systems in the industry, which requires frequent inspections to ensure compliance with Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency regulations. Moss’ team partnered with APL’s ITSD team to create a custom app that alerts the security teams if an area is not inspected, transforming the inspection process.
As Moss and his team work to ensure staff at APL continue to make vital contributions to critical challenges safely and securely, the security team has evolved significantly over the past few years. They are laser focused on attracting and retaining top talent by providing new opportunities and recognizing successes. With the support of APL’s leadership, Moss and his team developed new career paths and positions to provide security staff with further opportunities for growth. Moss is proud that they have received excellent feedback from APL’s security staff about these changes.
“Leonard has a keen understanding of the national security environment and skillfully applies the tools and techniques of the trade to ensure our staff can serve APL’s mission safely and securely,” said Timothy Galpin, APL’s chief strategy officer and assistant director of programs. “His leadership over the past year demonstrates how vital APL’s security services team is to our ability to serve our sponsors and the nation.”
Why Watch
Moss’ team at APL is working to prepare for the recent regulations from TEMPEST and ICD 705 regarding the laboratory’s sensitive compartmented information facilities and special access program facilities. Moss’ team is drafting plans of action, which will be delivered to APL sponsors, to ensure they’re compliant with the new standards, both for existing spaces ⏤ some of which are located in older buildings on campus ⏤ and for new buildings under construction.
They’re also working with APL colleagues to upgrade secure spaces while ensuring missions continue without interruption.
“My team’s mission is to deliver innovative, agile and uncompromising security services to ensure APL’s mission success,” Moss said. “We collaborate across the Laboratory to enable critical contributions to the nation’s critical challenges.”
Fun Fact: Moss dabbled in the entertainment industry as a singer and songwriter. He released one independent album that sold surprisingly well, which enabled him to attend the Grammy Awards for about 20 years as a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Moss now watches many movies and TV shows in his spare time as a member of the Screen Actors Guild.