ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 3, 2024 – The National Motor Freight Transportation Association (NMFTA), an industry leader in cybersecurity within the supply chain, today announced the appointment of Cara Walls as Director of Cybersecurity.
Mr. Walls joins the organization with more than 10 years of experience as a cybersecurity leader in highly regulated global industries and companies, including Coyote Logistics, UMB, H&R Block, and New York Life. In his new role, he will lead the NMFTA's cybersecurity initiative. NMFTA will focus on assets such as enterprise networks, systems, and trucks used to support the global supply chain and the US transportation industry.
“NMFTA has found in Walls a true leader and cybersecurity industry expert,” said Debbie Sparks, NMFTA Executive Director. “Her direct experience in supply chain security brings a unique skillset and approach to addressing the ever-increasing number of vulnerabilities found in our industry’s technological connections. We are now able to provide one of the nation's critical infrastructures with a specific learning program to effectively counter the exclusive and escalating threats faced by the United States.”
Mr. Walls' understanding of the unique needs of the trucking and logistics industry, coupled with his expertise from the University of Louisiana Graduate Program where he served as lead instructor and curriculum developer in cybersecurity, positions him to lead cyber education at NMFTA. During his career, Walls has been a recognized thought leader and frequent speaker within the cybersecurity industry, and his work has been presented at several national conferences.
Her practical risk-based security methodologies have been adopted by many to reduce vulnerability exposure by 61%, implement cyber vaults for enterprise-scale recovery, and reduce costs by 27%. We made adjustments to our cloud architecture that resulted in savings.
Through his work at the University of Louisiana, Walls has overseen dozens of cybersecurity research projects, produced cybersecurity subject matter experts who mentor his colleagues, and developed critical technologies such as information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). We have carefully selected a comprehensive cybersecurity program designed to suit your capabilities. ), networking, digital forensics and incident response (DFIR), threat intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for security, cloud security, ethical hacking, knowledge management, and more.
“We are excited to build strategic interests with our NMFTA partners and help them meet their business needs and stay safe in the process,” Walls said. “Our goal is to ensure our industry is resilient in the face of evolving threats to our supply chain. I look to his NMFTA and industry leaders for guidance. We are ready to help.”
In his new role, Walls will lead NMFTA's Cybersecurity Conference, an annual event that brings together experts from all aspects of supply chain, academia and government. She will also oversee the association's cybersecurity education, industry cyber initiatives, and training initiatives that drive the industry to a more secure environment. For more information about the annual conference, visit www.nmftacyber.com.
Walls' expertise will also be leveraged further into cybersecurity research and resources made available to the public through the NMFTA website and the quarterly Trucking Cybersecurity Trends Report.
To learn more about NMFTA's mission, advocacy, services, resources and industry conferences, visit www.nmfta.org.
About NMFTA
Since 1956, the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™ has set standards that power efficient and safe supply chains. NMFTA publishes the National Motor Freight Classification® (NMFC®), assigns Standard Carrier Alpha Codes™ (SCAC®), assigns Standard Point Location Codes® (SPLC™), develops digital standards for the LTL industry, and Securing these digital standards. Cybersecurity research, education, and research. NMFTA membership is available to all interstate and intrastate rental car carriers. For more information, please visit www.nmfta.org.
Press Contact: Marli Hall Public Relations Director
marli.hall@nmfta.org 703-665-3559
