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Suzanne M. “Zan” Vautrinot is a retired U.S. Air Force major general whose career spans space operations, military cyber command and corporate governance. CyberScoop included her in its 2017 “Top Women in Cybersecurity” editorial series; her significance rests not on a current ranking, but on her role leading Air Force cyber forces and later advising companies on technology and risk.
What CyberScoop’s 2017 recognition means
CyberScoop published its profile of Vautrinot on March 16, 2017, as part of its inaugural Top Women in Cybersecurity list. It was an editorial selection, not a government award, formal industry ranking or measured comparison of cybersecurity professionals. The list recognized women working across military operations, federal security, engineering, research, law, business and leadership.
Vautrinot’s inclusion reflected senior operational and organizational leadership. Her career was not primarily that of a commercial security researcher or product developer: she led military cyber organizations, worked on national-security policy and later brought technology and risk experience to corporate boards. The original CyberScoop profile also records her perspective on the early development of cyber operations and on diversity in the field.
From the Air Force Academy to space operations
Vautrinot graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982. Her education also includes a master’s degree in science from the University of Southern California, a National Security Fellowship at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and study at the Air Command and Staff College and Air War College, according to her Air Force biography.
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Her path into cyber was not a direct move from a modern commercial cybersecurity job. Early assignments included space operations and work related to national-security satellite systems. Those responsibilities connected communications, networks and critical military systems—experience that provided a foundation for later work in network operations and cyberspace.
How “network warfare” became cyber
In her CyberScoop interview, Vautrinot described being assigned to network warfare, a term used before “cyber” became the standard label. She said the assignment made clear to her that online conflict could fundamentally change national defense. Her trajectory reflects a wider institutional shift: cyberspace moved from an emerging specialty into a military operational domain requiring dedicated forces, planning and command structures.
Her military career also included command of the Air Force Recruiting Service from July 2006 to June 2008, followed by senior network-warfare and cyber-planning work. She served as deputy commander for Network Warfare at U.S. Strategic Command from June 2008 to December 2010 and held a director of plans and policy role at U.S. Cyber Command during this period. Sources vary slightly on the precise dates of the latter assignment, so the roles are more firmly established than a single exact start date.
What commanding Air Forces Cyber involved
From April 2011 until October 2013, Vautrinot commanded the 24th Air Force, also known as Air Forces Cyber, and Air Force Network Operations. The Air Force described the command’s mission as providing combatant commanders with trained and ready cyber forces to plan and conduct cyberspace operations, while extending, maintaining and defending the Air Force’s part of the Department of Defense global network.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThis was command of the Air Force cyber component—not command of all U.S. Cyber Command. Vautrinot held senior planning and policy roles connected to U.S. Cyber Command, and professional biographies have described her as instrumental in its establishment and early operation. That is distinct from founding or commanding the unified command.
The Air Force biography describes an operational organization that included three cyber wings and the 624th Operations Center. A 2026 Wells Fargo filing characterizes the broader enterprise she led as a multi-billion-dollar global operation with approximately 14,000 military personnel, civilians and contractors across more than 40 sites. Those workforce and site figures are the filing’s description of her former command, rather than a separate audited historical count.
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Vautrinot retired in October 2013 after 31 years of military service. The Air Force’s account of her roles and retirement is available in its official biography.
From military command to corporate risk oversight
After retiring, Vautrinot became president of Kilovolt Consulting in October 2013. Her work bridges cybersecurity and broader organizational decisions: technology oversight, strategic planning, crisis readiness, business continuity and enterprise risk. She has served on corporate boards including Wells Fargo, CSX, Ecolab and Parsons; earlier affiliations have included Symantec, later NortonLifeLock, and Battelle. Board appointments change over time, so historical service should not be read as a statement that every past affiliation remains current.
In its 2026 proxy filing, Wells Fargo lists Vautrinot as a director and identifies cybersecurity, risk management, strategic planning, government policy, international experience and information security among the qualifications she brings to its board. The filing also lists current public-company directorships at CSX, Ecolab and Parsons, alongside her Wells Fargo role.
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This governance work matters because cyber risk is not confined to the security department. Boards must oversee how digital threats affect operations, customers, critical infrastructure, financial exposure and resilience. Vautrinot’s experience illustrates how operational knowledge can inform decisions about risk and accountability at enterprise level, even when a director is not managing day-to-day security operations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Her advice on developing cybersecurity talent
In the CyberScoop interview, Vautrinot urged aspiring professionals to keep expanding their education and experience, take opportunities to learn and build deep capability in work that genuinely motivates them. She also argued for diversity in cybersecurity because people design and engineer the environments that defenders must protect. Different experiences and approaches can therefore help teams recognize and solve problems that a narrower group might miss.
That perspective connects individual career development with the field’s organizational needs: technical skill matters, but so do judgment, varied experience, collaboration and the ability to understand how systems are used by people.
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Recognition beyond the 2017 list
Vautrinot was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2017, according to the Battelle board biography. The American College named her its 2024 Soldier-Citizen Award recipient; the organization said she was the first woman to receive the award in its ten-year history. That specific distinction is attributed to The American College’s announcement.
Her record is notable because it links several spheres that are often treated separately: military operations, national-security policy, large-scale workforce leadership and corporate governance. The 2017 recognition captured one point in that career; her later board work shows how cybersecurity expertise can also shape decisions about organizational risk and resilience.
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