Lawrence Paul Embil
Security Manager, Miami Dade County
Lawrence is a cybersecurity strategist with 25 years of experience across private, public, and academic sectors. He has served in CTO, CISO, and Director roles, and currently manages Miami-Dade County's Security Architecture, Risk and Compliance, and Incident Response teams. Specializing in critical infrastructure security, he implements prescriptive controls for projects such as nuclear plant control systems, election security, and Smart City initiatives. Skilled in leading risk assessments, he holds multiple cybersecurity certifications and co-founded an AI and cybersecurity advisory practice in 2017. Committed to supporting the South Florida community, Lawrence serves on the cybersecurity curriculum advisory committee for Miami Dade College and sits on the board of a local high school.
He is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the South Florida Urban Area Security Initiative and manages Miami-Dade County’s Security Architecture, Risk and Compliance, and Incident Response teams. Prior to this, Lawrence was employed by a Fortune 200 electric utility where he focused on quality management and aligning information security best practices with business requirements. Lawrence is a hands-on technologist that has implemented prescriptive security controls for nuclear plant control systems, elections security, mass transit, and Smart City critical infrastructure.
Throughout his tenure, Lawrence has developed acute skills in risk assessments and applies his experience to meet strategic and regulatory requirements. Lawrence has earned recognition amongst his peers by adding the CISSP, PMI-ACP, ITIL, CISA, CISM, CCSE, and CEH certifications to his portfolio of accomplishments. He is an active member of the FBI’s InfraGard program, Multi State-ISAC, and the U.S. Secret Service’s Miami Electronic Crimes Task Force. He maintains connections with his peers in the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement, and corporate security sectors.
Lawrence is a technical advisor to Miami-Dade County’s Cryptocurrency Task Force, a contributing member of PMI: The Project Management Institute, IASA: The Global IT Architect Association, ISACA: The Information Systems Audit, and Control Association, and (CS)2AI: Control System Cyber Security Association International.
As a Miami native, he is passionate about contributing to South Florida’s growth and helping others in the community reach their maximum potential.