Hi Josh!  Can you start with an introduction of yourself and what you do at Maveris?

Sure, I’m Josh Kiihne – the last name is pronounced like zucchini or Zoo Kiihne. I arrived at Maveris by way of a Marine Corps career and a few years at MITRE. During my Marine Corps time, I never did the same job twice; that was both a blessing and a curse. I was involved in tactical aviation, procurement, and foreign affairs. As a program engineer in procurement, I was introduced to cybersecurity. While at MITRE, my time was spent in emerging technology and Marine Corps command and control while trying to keep one foot in the cybersecurity door.

My family is very important to me. Sarah and I have been married for about 22 years, and we have three wonderful teenage children. Those words – wonderful and teenage – don’t normally go together, but we’re blessed with children who enjoy time with us and even one another (most days).

We got stuck in Northern Virginia for 17 years. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but we wanted to live somewhere a little more rural and slower paced. We found that in Indiana. We currently live right at the border of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, just about 40 minutes from Cincinnati. We enjoy rural life just outside town, adventures in home improvement, and hosting friends and family amid our crazy lives – y’all come visit.

Upon starting at Maveris, I joined the Requirements and Development (R&D) Team. In addition to creating requirements documents, we’re kind of a “catch all” group of folks who get complex questions from CSOC leadership across a range of topics and return clear, concise, actionable recommendations. It’s a great team, and we get to tackle a diverse problem set.

About 6 months ago, I also got the opportunity to assist with the Surge Team. This task is primarily focused on cloud security and is staffed by an expert group of cloud security practitioners. We’re working on everything from cloud tenant security configurations and cybersecurity risk management to purple team engagements and vulnerability scanning. Getting the chance to work on tough, enterprise-wide problems and consistently brief leadership on our progress have been exciting and good growth experiences.

I love the culture we have at Maveris and the high-quality people we attract. That makes Maveris a fantastic place to work.

How do you take your coffee? Drip, French Press, Espresso, Pour Over, Black, Cream, Sugar, A little coffee with your favorite syrup, etc.

I was a pour over/aeropress guy for years…it’s cheap and easy. My wife bought me a wonderful machine that does coffee, espresso, “cold” brew, and steamed milk. It’s been a game changer. I make my daughters café au lait to take as they head out the door for school each morning, and I make my wife and myself lattes most evenings. While my wife likes a little coffee with her sugar and milk, I prefer my coffee black and my latte without sugar.

What hobbies are you involved in?

I have two hobbies that fill my time. For the past 8 years or so, my hobby has been serving our church. Walking with people through the best and worst times of their lives is a great privilege and a hobby that has lasting repercussions. My other hobby is learning/teaching; they go together. I enjoy taking classes, wrestling with various topics, and then bringing that information to others. I previously taught an elective on operationalizing emerging technologies in military domains and more recently taught an introduction to cybersecurity for a couple years. Teaching is a great way to really engage with a topic.

What’s your favorite thing to do with your family?

Every year, our family heads to The Gathering. Back in the era that time forgot (i.e., COVID), Palmetto State Armory in South Carolina hosted a firearms media event for new product releases. It’s a wonderful opportunity to try out all kinds of firearms. My wife and I first attended since we are both instructors and wanted to stay up with the market. After that first year, we started taking our kids. It makes a father proud when his wife and daughters outshoot most of the guys. 

What are some of your bucket list items?

When out for Western Pacific deployments, we’d make sure we spent a month in Thailand. During that time, I came to love Thai food and the Thai people. My wife and I traveled there a few times for vacation. We even met in Thailand for R&R during other deployments. We’ve been trying to get to Thailand with our children for the past 10 years or so, but we haven’t been able to get the timing to work. Taking our kids to Chiang Mai and Koh Tao would be a wonderful bucket list item.

I would love to get back into firearms instruction with my wife. We enjoy working together with new and inexperienced shooters as they improve their ability to safely handle firearms and build confidence toward better protecting themselves, their families, and their communities.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three things would you bring?

First, I would bring my wife. We would love hanging out on a deserted island for an undetermined length of time. You may think I would want to bring our children, and I love them dearly; however, since my children are not married, I would prefer for them to live their lives in ways they can go out and flourish and being stuck on a deserted island with no other people is not a good way for that to happen. Second, I would bring a good bushcrafting knife. With a good knife, you can make most other tools and harvest food. Finally, I would bring my Bible. It’s the one book I can read time and again and never fully plumb its depths.

Some historical figures have epithets attached to their names, like The Mad or The Wise. What would you like yours to be?

I hope it doesn’t sound proud or cheesy, but I would prefer to be known as Josh Kiihne the Humble. I love when I work with a great team and get to encourage and enable people to do their best work. I’ve already had that opportunity twice in Maveris with the R&D Team and the CSOC Surge Team.