22 years of cybersecurity taught me the technology isn’t the problem — we are. I help leaders, educators, and the curious understand security as a human question, not a checklist.
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Pentagon to Placitas. 22 years as a U.S. Navy cybersecurity officer — from incident response to ISSM-level program leadership across federal agencies and major defense contractors.
Harvard to the K–5 classroom. Fellow at the Center for Digital Thriving (Harvard Graduate School of Education), where the research turned toward a question the security industry rarely asks: how do humans — especially young ones — actually form relationships with technology?
D.Sc. in Cyberpsychology at Capitol Technology University, developing Recursive Cyberconsciousness Theory — a framework that treats cybersecurity dynamics as cognitive regulatory mechanisms shaping consciousness development from childhood forward.
Founder of Merek Security Solutions, MindfulBytes (K–5 digital wellness), and CTRL+ALT+Press (independent publishing).
Every awareness program built on PowerPoints and click-through tests fails the same way for the same reason. What enterprise security looks like when you treat it as a brain-body problem instead of a knowledge-transfer one — and what 22 years of incident data in the Navy told me about why we keep getting this wrong.
What MindfulBytes K–5 research and Harvard CDT fellowship work shows about how children form bonds with technology in the developmental window — and the practical curriculum that teaches them to notice their own digital experience before they’re old enough to defend themselves.
“Michael’s curriculum has transformed how our students approach technology. They’re not only more aware of its impact on their emotions and actions but are also developing responsible habits that we know will carry forward.”Ahlum ScarolaHead of School · Rio Grande School · Santa Fe
How teaching presence helps us raise emotionally connected and resilient humans in a digital world. The treatment book of the trilogy — MindfulBytes prevents, Computer Love diagnoses, this one offers the practical, research-grounded path through.
Five editorial passes · 67,881 words · Publisher-ready
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