Certification Committee

The FITSI Certification Committee is charged with reviewing certification applications of candidates to determine if candidates meet the necessary requirements for being awarded certification.  The certification committee renders certification decisions for the organization.

All certification committee members are both subject matter experts in Federal IT security as well as possessing strong experience in the IT security certification market.

Current members are listed below:

Bert Belisch - FITSP-M, CISSP, PMP
Bert has been the Director/Program Manager for the National Capital Region of New Directions Technologies Inc. (NDTI), since October 2008. In this capacity he is responsible for directing all operational, personnel, business development and contracting operations for NDTI in the region. His current NDTI contracts support critical DOD operations on a daily basis. Prior to joining NDTI Bert was a career U.S. Army Officer, from 1988 to 2008, retiring at the grade of Lieutenant Colonel. His culminating assignment was as the Information Assurance Manager, for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff networks at the Pentagon. As an Army officer he had many challenging assignments in Europe and the U.S. and as an Artillery Officer he was responsible for nuclear compliance, platoon and battery operations and safety. Changing career paths in 1997, as an Information Systems Management Officer (FA 53), Bert took on new career challenges working with NATO and US Army information technology systems/networks in assignments from Europe, the US and Iraq.

Andy Bruce - FITSP-D, CISSP, PMP
Andrew Bruce is a Lead Scientist for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) in the Army Programs group of the North American Public Sector. CSC provides professional services to the Federal Government and the Department of Defense, specializing in customizing and developing architecture and governance models that enable tight integration to the Army’s enterprise portfolio management initiatives. Mr. Bruce's job responsibilities include: working directly with customers and partners for new business development, supporting proposal efforts, overseeing Army customers’ network infrastructure, working with project managers to ensure project completion, managing software development efforts throughout the entire system life-cycle, and leading new technology research and proofs-of-concept. After a career spanning three decades in shrink-wrap, commercial, and corporate software development, Mr. Bruce is focusing on Information Assurance to achieve his goal of building and managing large data centers providing cloud computing utility services for commercial and Government customers. Mr. Bruce holds the CISSP, PMP, and FITSP-D certifications as well as a Master’s Degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University.

Jay Coplon – FITSP-A, FITSP-M, CISSP, CISM, CISA, CAP
Jay is an information assurance professional implementing the NIST Assessment & Authorization domain for the past 15 years. His experience is focused in the risk management discipline where he spends a great part of his day reviewing security assessments and supporting artifacts. Currently, Jay leads the oversight and management of POA&M. Jay meets changes in federal guidance with sound interpretations that result in process improvements necessary to support his customers.

Francis Edwards – FITSP-M, FITSP-A, CISSP, CAP, IAM/IEM, CCP     
Francis has over 45 years’ experience in IT, the last 18 in IT/cyber security.  As a contractor cybersecurity analyst, he supports FISMA-related information assurance activities for federal agencies in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Previously he founded Montani Solutions, LLC as a consulting firm to provide infosec assistance for small and medium businesses.  His other work includes IT Security Manager at Montgomery College, Project Manager at Fannie Mae, End-User Support Manager at GEICO, and Director of Academic Computing at Towson University.  In addition to other professional organizations, Francis is a Senior Member of ISSA and has served on the National Capital chapter’s board of directors as president and other offices.

Jim Wiggins - CISSP-ISSEP, CISM, CISA, CAP, SSCP, IAM, IEM, SCNA, SCNP, SCNS, CEH, ECSA, CHFI, LPT, TICSA, CIWSA, Security+, and MCSE: Security
Jim is an information assurance professional and technical trainer with 15+ years of experience.  Jim runs his own successful small business and has been involved in teaching IT security course for clients such as Department of State, Department of Defense, Booz Allen and Hamilton, and KPMG.  Through his deep involvement in the process of FISMA compliance audits over much of the last decade, he recognized the critical need for tailored, role-based security training for the Federal, military, and contractor personnel who work so hard to secure our nation's critical Federal IT systems.  The creation of FITSI and the FITSP training and credentialing processes came about as a direct result of his day-to-day exposure to these dedicated people and their repeated comments regarding specialized training and certification needs.