Tammy Hornsby-Fink Earns One of the First Ever ORBIE Awards for CISOs

On July 12, Tammy Hornsby-Fink, Federal Reserve System chief information security officer (CISO), became the first-ever ORBIE® award winner in the CISO Public Sector category.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized among an incredibly talented and dedicated group of CISOs in the Capital region,” Hornsby-Fink said. “With that said, this achievement is not my alone. It is a reflection of the world-class team I have the privilege to work with at the Fed along with collaborative industry colleagues. I am proud and thankful to be part of a community dedicated to safeguarding our digital world.”

Serving as System CISO since 2019, Tammy leads the charge to ensure the Federal Reserve’s information security strategy, policies, programs, and incident response capabilities remain effective and efficient. She leads a diverse team of more than 300 security professionals that provide services focused on security policy, incident response, threat intelligence, forensics, business continuity, enterprise risk management, and finance for National IT.

“Tammy is a consummate expert in understanding our security and technology infrastructure and the business of the Federal Reserve,” Federal Reserve System CIO Ghada Ijam wrote in her letter nominating Tammy for the award. “Daily, she is accountable for the security people, processes and technology that support more than $5 trillion a day in payments and the 10,000 financial institutions that we interface with to provide payments across the nation. Her responsibilities also include the Fed’s role as fiscal agent for the U.S. Treasury, which includes processing more than $4 billion a day in Treasury transactions.”

The daughter of two U.S. Air Force veterans, Hornsby-Fink followed in her parents’ footsteps and began her technology career supporting Department of Defense communications and computer systems in the Air Force. After co-founding a successful IT consulting firm, she joined the Fed in 2003 and is currently the longest-serving member of the Fed’s National IT leadership team.

A motivational servant leader, Hornsby-Fink leans on some key aspects of leadership to achieve success in her role as CISO – partnership, influence and actions.

“Credibility requires connection and trust. Building on trusted partnerships with teams and business partners, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to lead critical change through influence,” said Hornsby-Fink. “Understanding that people trust leaders who not only articulate their values and intentions, but also consistently demonstrate them through their actions, has enabled me to be not only the leader they needed, but also the leader they wanted.”

As committed as she is to her work as CISO, Hornsby-Fink demonstrates an equally strong commitment to public service by being an active participant in causes important to her. Outside of the Fed, Hornsby-Fink has served on the board of directors for the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg since 2019. Inside of the Fed, she is a founding member and current executive co-sponsor of the Women in Technology community of practice, which invests in and empowers women in technology roles, and she serves as a member of the Richmond Fed’s Executive Diversity & Inclusion Council.

For over 25 years, the CapitalCIO ORBIE® Awards have recognized technology executives for leadership, innovation, and excellence. This year, for the first time ever, the ORBIE Awards recognized CISOs. It's clear to see why Tammy was awarded this prestigious honor, and we’re beyond proud to have her as a Fed System leader.
Congratulations Tammy!