Dr. Jerrod Pickering is a dynamic, cross-disciplinary speaker whose career spans cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, instructional design, leadership development, and global real estate. With more than two decades of experience guiding organizations through technological, cultural, and operational transformation, Jerrod brings a rare blend of deep expertise and captivating storytelling that resonates with audiences from the boardroom to the classroom.

Jerrod currently serves as an Academy Instructor for HITRUST, where he designed and teaches the groundbreaking HITRUST AI Certification and has trained and certified more than 2,000 cybersecurity practitioners. His work positions him at the forefront of AI risk, emerging threats, and the human factors shaping today’s security landscape. A natural communicator, he presents regularly at HITRUST conferences, webinars, and industry events—distilling complex topics into engaging, accessible insights.

A published author, Jerrod wrote the widely respected book The People Problem: Strengthening Cybersecurity Through Proper Training, which examines why human behavior—not technology—is the greatest vulnerability in modern security programs and how organizations can reverse that trend through better learning design and culture. His expertise has been featured in numerous industry magazines, banking associations, and professional conferences across the country.

Before entering cybersecurity and audit leadership, Jerrod spent more than a decade in education as a superintendent, principal, professor, and instructional technologist. This background gives him an uncommon advantage as a speaker: he doesn’t just understand systems—he understands people, motivation, culture, and the psychology behind how teams learn and change. He has designed online, hybrid, and face-to-face learning experiences; built multi-track professional development programs; and taught graduate-level courses in instructional technology and cybersecurity for over 13 years.

Jerrod’s career also extends into entrepreneurship, media, and global real estate. As the founder of Passports to Property, he merges international living, relocation strategy, and real estate trends into a fast-growing brand, including a forthcoming travel-documentary-style television series and a popular slate of digital media content. His work gives audiences a forward-thinking perspective on global mobility, digital-nomad culture, family relocation planning, and the future of work in a rapidly globalizing economy.

Across each chapter of his career—from securing Fortune 500 systems and auditing financial institutions, to training educators, advising executives, coaching real estate teams, and guiding families exploring life abroad—Jerrod has been known as a bridge-builder. His talks energize audiences with practical insight, real-world stories, unconventional ideas, and a clear call to action rooted in innovation and human-centered thinking.

Whether speaking on AI and cybersecurity, leadership under pressure, organizational culture, future-of-work trends, global relocation, or the intersection of technology and human behavior, Jerrod delivers sessions that are highly engaging, immediately applicable, and tailored to empower today’s leaders to think boldly about tomorrow.