As the director of business development for The Kenjya-Trusant Group LLC and the president of Pentagon Cyber Inc., Charlene K. Coon leverages her expertise in business, government contracting, and intelligence to identify and address the needs of government agencies and communities. Among her diverse skill sets, Dr. Coon particularly excels in cybersecurity, holding a doctorate in computer science with an emphasis in cybersecurity and information assurance from Colorado Technical University (CTU).
For her overall professional success, Dr. Coon credits her exceptional communication skills as well as her willingness to take charge and seize the initiative when necessary. Further, she is driven by an unwavering faith in the potential of people to achieve excellence and recognizes the crucial importance of safeguarding our nation’s technological infrastructure from attacks and vulnerabilities that could be immeasurably damaging. Dr. Coon’s goal is to facilitate the creation of infrastructure employment opportunities domestically and abroad in developing nations. She envisions using technology to connect children across continents and plans to foster relationships between schools in the United States and Africa. Since 2022, she has served as the vice president of Helpers of Free Hope Africa. Dr. Coon feels privileged to work with multiple mentees of the late Nelson Mandela.
As a certified ethical hacker, Dr. Coon has experience working as a lead ISSE architect for L3Harris Technologies Inc. and serving as the director of cybersecurity for a U.S. government contractor. She was a senior regional site security manager for General Dynamics Information Technology Inc. from 2017 to 2019 and concurrently worked as an information technology security engineer with the firm. In addition, she was a senior regional security manager with Maximus during the same period. Dr. Coon built her resume with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FBI, where she held the roles of IT security manager, IT forensic examiner, senior server administrator, and patch manager between 2014 and 2017. She started her career trajectory as a server administrator, IT SME team manager, and employee client manager at Woodbury Technologies, where she worked from 2011 until she joined the FBI.
In preparation for her career as a cybersecurity and government contracting professional, Dr. Coon graduated in 2006 from Western Governors University with a Bachelor of Science in information technology management. Committed to her ongoing professional development, she continued her higher education at the same institution, earning a Master of Science in information security and assurance in 2013. She later secured her doctorate from CTU in 2021, the same year she became a certified ethical hacker through the EC-Council. Respected as a professional authority, Dr. Coon served for two years as the president of the World Business Development Association.
Giving back, Dr. Coon mentors students and is proud to support companies and individuals to help them recognize their full capabilities and build confidence. She aims to inspire others to participate in discussions, share their ideas, and prove their value to themselves and others. Moreover, she offers advice specifically tailored to aspiring women professionals, stressing the value of carrying oneself with an air of power while remaining gracious toward others. Dr. Coon notes that cybersecurity is an industry built on relationships. Drawing on her deeply held faith in God and her fellow human beings, she has always sought to live her life with integrity in accordance with her core principles.
Taking special pride in having started her own business and empowering others, Dr. Coon often receives calls expressing gratitude for her advice on leadership and entrepreneurship. She embodies an incredible legacy of resilience, perseverance, and triumph over adversity, emerging from circumstances of abject poverty and even homelessness as a child to achieve success. Through her work, Dr. Coon hopes to change the trajectory of others’ lives and perhaps help positively shape the future of nations.