InfraShield, the global leader in nuclear cybersecurity and compliance advisory, is proud to announce the appointment of Mario Fernandez as its new Director of Nuclear Security and Compliance.
Summary
InfraShield is proud to announce the addition of two distinguished leaders to its executive team—Mario Fernandez as Director of Nuclear Security and Compliance and Jeffrey "Jeff" Knight as Director of Global Critical Infrastructure Services. A former Chief of the Cybersecurity Branch at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Mario brings nearly two decades of regulatory and operational expertise, having led national rulemaking, licensing and oversight activities. Jeff, a Navy veteran and nuclear cybersecurity specialist, returns to InfraShield with over 35 years of experience spanning the Department of Defense, SWIFT, and Idaho National Laboratory, where he advanced industrial control system (ICS) security for nuclear and energy programs. Their appointments reinforce InfraShield’s commitment to bridging the gap between policy and operational resilience as it strengthens its mission to protect the world’s most critical infrastructure from evolving cyber-physical threats.
A seasoned cybersecurity leader, Mario brings more than 17 years of experience with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), where he held multiple leadership roles in security and compliance. Most recently, he served as Chief of the Cybersecurity Branch, leading critical initiatives in rulemaking, licensing, oversight, and research activities for small modular, micro, advanced, and light water power reactors. Under his leadership, the branch strengthened its regulatory readiness for AI adoption and other emerging technologies across the agency’s jurisdiction.
During his NRC tenure, Mario played a pivotal role in developing and refining the agency’s inspection programs for both physical and cybersecurity. As a Subject Matter Expert (SME), he designed and implemented inspector training and qualification programs, instructed NRC personnel, oversaw enforcement actions, and conducted cybersecurity inspections across Milestones 1 through 7—including full implementation and baseline inspections.
Mario also collaborated extensively with international regulatory entities in Argentina, Spain, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and most notably the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Working alongside the IAEA, he contributed to the development of cybersecurity publications and training programs supporting global nuclear safety and security initiatives.
Prior to his regulatory career, Mario spent over a decade as a licensee in the nuclear sector, serving in physical security operations and as an instructor. This frontline experience provided him with invaluable insight into the operational challenges faced by licensees—insight that continues to inform his ability to bridge the gap between policy development and real-world implementation.
Mario holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management with a minor in Communications and an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Programming from the University of Maryland Global Campus. He is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, with eight years of honorable service. Furthermore, Mario joins other InfraShield former NRC personnel such as Jeff Knight and Mark Rorabaugh.
About InfraShield
InfraShield is a U.S.-based cyber-physical security company specializing in the protection of critical infrastructure systems across operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments.
We design and implement tailored solutions, technologies, and strategies to defend high-value assets in sectors such as nuclear power, energy, transportation, mining and metals, water, and government against evolving cyber threats.
Founded by former NRC regulators, industry practitioners, and subject matter experts, InfraShield bridges the gap between policy and operational resilience. Our approach integrates compliance, defense-in-depth engineering, and incident response to safeguard mission-critical operations against nation-state actors, ransomware groups, and supply-chain threats.
From nuclear facilities to smart grid infrastructure, InfraShield delivers mission-ready protection—where failure is not an option.
