Student Spotlight
Dominic Lombardi ‘22
Worcester, MA
Senior Manager, Security Risk and Trust, Klaviyo
Program: MS in Information Security Leadership
In his spare time, Dominic enjoys hiking, camping and exploring the outdoors with his wife and two daughters.
Get to know Dominic Lombardi!
Why did you choose Brandeis GPS?
I chose Brandeis GPS because it was built for working professionals. GPS’s online-first approach allows me to learn from and alongside a global group with industry leaders.
What inspired you to choose your field of study?
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue an MBA or an MS in Information Security Leadership, but when I spoke with a program curriculum advisor and mentor Sandy Silk, she had nothing but great things to say about the program, the faculty, and the students. I knew that an MS in Information Security Leadership would distinguish me from other professionals as I continue to advance myself and build my professional brand.
How have you enjoyed your experience at Brandeis thus far?
The program has met all my expectations so far; the courses are challenging and I’ve been able to dive deeper into concepts and theories that I’ve experienced throughout my career. In several of the courses, I’ve been able to apply my academic work directly to my profession and company after workshopping ideas and gaining helpful feedback from my classmates and professors alike. I could not ask for more transferable coursework that I’ve experienced at Brandeis!
What are your hopes and aspirations for the rest of your time at Brandeis?
I know the program will continue to challenge me to think differently about the concepts and areas we study. I hope that my peers and professors continue to provide critical feedback that requires me to dive deeper into subject areas and to continually apply what we’re studying to my company.
What are your plans for after graduation?
Klaviyo is truly a growth rocket ship – having reached unicorn status this past year with a $4.5 billion valuation. I plan to continue to advance the risk managing program at Klaviyo to help our leaders make more risk informed decisions as we tackle new challenges and take over new markets.
What advice would you give to incoming students?
The GPS program is what YOU make it out to be. The reading and assignments are manageable, but you can truly revolutionize your career by taking a few extra hours to go beyond the assignments and to think about how your program translates to your profession and company.
What has been your favorite class to-date?
Computer Incident Response by far! I’ve been on incident response teams and led investigations over the course of my career, but I’ve never taken an academic approach to this domain before; all of my learning in their domain has been experiential, and often, your company culture influences the type of incident response program you build. By approaching it from an academic stance, I was able to examine an incident program holistically and then think critically about what I needed to bring to my company and our program to help mature our response efforts.
