Julian Ragland
3 years securing deep-space missions at NASA JPL. Now I build the tools I wished existed — AI platforms, satellite trackers, and security infrastructure from scratch.
Full-stack by necessity. Security-first by instinct.
Career Timeline
Freelance IT Consultant & Web Developer
Self-Employed
Provide cybersecurity operations, infrastructure hardening, and IT consulting services to clients across government, education, and nonprofit sectors. Manage security monitoring, incident response, vulnerability management, and lifecycle management of web systems and server infrastructure.
Communications Specialist, Cybersecurity and Project Manager
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Cybersecurity program coordinator for enterprise-scale security and IT modernization supporting 42 active NASA missions. Managed compliance-driven rollouts end-to-end — stakeholder engagement, change management, delivery tracking, and executive reporting — across engineering, IT, and mission ops, reporting to the CISO office and JPL Chief of Cyber.
Professional Certificate in Cybersecurity
UC Berkeley Extension
24-week intensive cybersecurity program covering penetration testing, network security, and defensive operations. Hands-on training in Kali Linux, Metasploit, Burp Suite, Hashcat, and Wireshark. Coursework included packet analysis, network architecture, cryptography, cloud security, vulnerability assessment, risk management, and Bash scripting.
Graphic Designer & Communications
DC Chamber of Commerce
Spearheaded brand identity guidelines and led marketing communications including social media campaigns, PR, and media requests. Established design standards that enhanced credibility and drove membership revenue.
Social Media Management
Georgetown University
B.A. Middle Eastern Studies & History
University of Maryland
Analytical foundation in geopolitics, regional security dynamics, and cross-cultural communication.
Technical Toolkit
Software Development
- Stakeholder engagement
- Cross-team coordination
- Risk assessment
- Compliance reporting
- Change management
Cybersecurity & Compliance
- NIST frameworks
- Vulnerability management
- Network access control
- Threat analysis
- Incident response
Systems & Automation
- Docker
- Cron automation
- SIEM deployment
- MDM platforms
- Python scripting
Credentials
CompTIA Security+ ce
CompTIA
Building a Secure AI
ISC2
Cybersecurity Certificate
UC Berkeley Extension
B.A. Middle Eastern Studies
University of Maryland
Recommendations
I had the privilege of working with Julian on many projects including two of JPL’s most critical cybersecurity initiatives: the Gatekeeper program and the lab-wide HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) implementation. Both projects required a unique combination of technical understanding, disciplined program execution, and expert communications — and Julian consistently delivered on all fronts.
Julian is a rare talent who can operate comfortably across cybersecurity and network architecture, project management, and change adoption. He can communicate those concepts equally successfully to the least technical on the front-line, to the highly technical engineering staff, and to the top levels of management. Any organization would benefit from his ability to execute large-scale cybersecurity initiatives with both technical integrity and operational excellence.
Jim King
CyberSecurity Architect
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Senior to Julian
As the Section Manager for Cybersecurity Services and Operations, and Corporate Cybersecurity BISO at NASA JPL, I had the privilege of working with Julian during his JPL tenure. Julian quickly became a trusted member of the team, given his innate ability to manage mission-critical security initiatives with precision and foresight.
What truly sets Julian apart is his ability to blend technical cyber knowledge, IT project management, and organizational communication as a singular skillset. He consistently translates highly technical security initiatives into actionable strategies which are adoptable at all levels of the Lab, from junior engineers to non-technical leaders. Julian directly advanced the security posture and resilience of JPL’s mission critical infrastructure.
Frederick Beck
Section Manager, Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Ops
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Senior to Julian
As the Gatekeeper Program Manager, I had the opportunity to oversee Julian’s work on Gatekeeper, a NASA Directive and one of JPL’s most complex cybersecurity initiatives. Julian quickly established himself as a trusted project manager and communications lead we could rely on to bring structure, clarity, and forward momentum to the effort.
Julian’s abilities to translate complex scenarios into simple manageable action items on Gatekeeper exemplified the qualities of an outstanding technical project/program manager: organized, detail-oriented, collaborative, and results-driven. He consistently elevated the program and earned the trust of everyone involved. I recommend him without hesitation for roles in technical project or program management, particularly where cybersecurity and large-scale organizational change intersect.
Rashmi Arjunan
Sr. Program Manager IV
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Worked on the same team
Looking for what's next
If it touches security, satellites, or AI — I've probably shipped it from scratch.