Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
St. Mary's County commissioners honor late chief information security officer Christopher Shepherd
Summary
St. Mary's County commissioners read a resolution honoring Christopher Bridal Shepherd, the county's chief information security officer, who died March 3, 2025. Colleagues said Shepherd built the county's cybersecurity program and will be remembered for his professional contributions and personal interests.
St. Mary's County commissioners read a resolution honoring Christopher Bridal Shepherd, the county's chief information security officer, who died March 3, 2025, county officials said.
The resolution memorialized Shepherd's career and family details, stating he was born Sept. 3, 1986, in Masawa, Japan, moved to St. Mary's County in February 2001 and is survived by his daughter, Cora, and parents Brian and Amber Shepherd. It lists a bachelor's degree in legal studies and a master's degree in cybersecurity and cites earlier roles including paralegal, cybersecurity analyst, systems security engineer and leadership as the county's chief information security officer.
An IT department staff member who spoke at the meeting said Shepherd strengthened the county's cybersecurity posture and that his loss was personal for colleagues. “So we, we lost a coworker, but I would say that we also lost a friend,” the staff member said. “Christopher wasn't just an integral part of our cybersecurity. He created it.”
The same speaker added, “He was our first security officer. And he's missed already. There's a hole in our department,” and thanked attendees for coming. The speaker also relayed a remark attributed to the commission's presiding official, saying, “as Commissioner President Guy said, this will be here forever,” when referring to the written expression of condolences.
The text read at the meeting concluded, “we, the commission of Saint Mary's County hereby express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family of Christopher Bridal Shepherd and honor his legacy.” The transcript does not record a formal vote on the resolution in the excerpts provided.
