Courtney Jackson, Founder & CEO, Paragon Cyber Solutions

June 2026 — Invest: spoke with Courtney Jackson, Founder and CEO of Paragon Cyber Solutions, about Tampa Bay’s growing role in cybersecurity and defense technology, workforce development, and Paragon’s plans for sustainable growth. “Tampa Bay’s rise in cybersecurity and defense is real, and the talent here keeps getting stronger. For Paragon, the focus is what it’s always been: disciplined, sustainable growth and delivering for our customers.” Jackson said.

What have been some key milestones and achievements for Paragon Cyber Solutions over the past year?

I was selected as a speaker during Special Operations Forces Week (SOF Week) in Tampa. I was one of four panelists for a discussion on doing business in Tampa Bay, and I was the only cybersecurity defense contractor selected for that panel. That was an honor and a major milestone.

It also highlighted something important. Before the event started, I was in the speaker room sitting at a table with a group of male generals and officers, and I was the only woman. I remember thinking that we have to change that. There needs to be more representation in this space.

For Paragon as a whole, we made the Inc. 5000 list for the first time and were ranked No. 660. From that, we also made the Vets 100 list, which highlights the fastest-growing veteran-owned businesses across the country. We were No. 44 on that list.

Another major milestone is tied to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, or CMMC. Paragon is an authorized third-party assessment organization (C3PAO). As of last week, we were one of 104 companies in the world with that designation. When you put that into context, there are more than 300,000 government contracting companies that have to get this certification, and only a small number of companies that can do that work.

We have been planning for C3PAO work for years, but it started to really take effect this year.

What opportunities do you see for Tampa Bay to strengthen its position in cybersecurity and defense technology?

We have something most regions would love to have: MacDill Air Force Base and the federal mission that comes with it, sitting alongside a fast-growing commercial technology sector. The opportunity is connecting the two. Tampa Bay is becoming the centralized hub where government, large commercial companies, and tech innovation meet, and the companies relocating here see it. The regions that win in cybersecurity and defense are the ones that turn that proximity into partnerships, and that is exactly where Tampa Bay is headed.

How do you view the industry’s progress in creating more diverse talent pipelines, particularly for women in cybersecurity and defense?

As a woman who founded and built a cybersecurity firm in the defense space, I pay close attention to this, and my honest view is that progress is real but unfinished. The encouraging part is that Tampa Bay is not waiting around. Through my time as vice president of the Tampa Bay chapter of Women in Defense, I watched that community introduce women to defense and technology careers and connect them directly with employers.

Through the Tampa Bay Chamber, where Paragon was named 2023 Small Business of the Year in our category, I graduated from the Minority Business Accelerator alongside other local women business owners. And at Paragon, we put it into practice: we are an approved DoD SkillBridge employer, supporting active-duty service members in their final six months as they gain civilian work experience, and we partner with Hiring Our Heroes. Pipelines get built through programs like these, person by person, and Tampa Bay has them in force.

What similarities or differences do you see in how government and commercial clients approach cyber resilience?

More similarities than differences. Compliance now drives both worlds: CMMC on the federal side, ISO and NIST on the commercial side, and in both cases meeting the standard is what gets you in the door for new business. Underneath, every organization looks the same. People on computers, help desks, data moving between teams. The difference is the stakes. Government work puts you in sensitive and classified environments where the cost of failure is measured in more than dollars. But good security is good security. The safeguards that protect a federal agency are the same ones that protect a commercial enterprise, and both need them working every day.

What are some of the most pressing cybersecurity risks organizations are facing today?

Phishing remains one of the biggest risks because it targets people, not systems. The emails look legitimate. A survey offering a $100 Amazon gift card is appealing enough that people click. The tactic I find most concerning is impersonation paired with urgency. This happens everywhere, including in my own company, where employees have received messages from people pretending to be me, asking for gift cards or demanding quick action.

When the CEO asks, people move fast, and attackers exploit exactly that. The countermeasure starts with slowing down and verifying the actual email address behind the display name. But it cannot stop there. AI is making these messages cleaner and more convincing, so awareness training has to be continuous, not a once-a-year checkbox. The attacks evolve every day, and people have to evolve with them.

How important is collaboration among businesses, educational institutions, government, and the military in building a stronger cybersecurity ecosystem?

It is essential, because no single player can build the pipeline alone. Universities produce the talent, businesses provide the real-world application, and the government and military generate the mission and the demand. Tampa Bay is one of the few regions where all four are in the same room. What encourages me is how intentional the universities have become. We toured the University of Tampa recently, visiting their cybersecurity center and meeting with professors about their initiatives, and USF and HCC are equally active.

The shift I notice is the emphasis on hands-on, real-world experience while students are still earning their degrees. That benefits everyone. Students graduate job-ready, and employers hire people with practical exposure, not just a credential. When you add the federal and military presence here, the loop closes: students train locally, companies hire locally, and the mission is served locally. That is what a real ecosystem looks like.

How is Paragon approaching workforce development and talent training?

The biggest gap in cybersecurity workforce development is not education, it’s experience. People need hands-on experience to get hired, but they need someone to give them that first opportunity to get the experience. It is a cycle, and somebody has to break it. That is why Paragon built a cybersecurity apprenticeship program approved by the Florida Department of Education. I believe in education. I have a master’s degree in this field.

But I had experience before I earned that degree, and I tell people the truth: a degree alone does not land you a six-figure cybersecurity job. The apprenticeship bridges that gap, giving people practical, real-world capability alongside their credentials. It resembles an internship in some ways, but it is structured to go deeper. If we want a real talent pipeline, this is what it takes: employers willing to open the first door.

What are your key goals and priorities for Paragon over the next two to three years?

The same priorities that built Paragon: disciplined, sustainable growth and delivering meaningful value on every engagement. Cybersecurity is becoming more critical every year, and the work we do, from federal support to CMMC assessments, sits right at the center of that. My focus is making sure Paragon continues to meet that demand with excellence while staying rooted in the Tampa Bay community that has been part of our story from the beginning. I am really big on sustainable growth, and that means building something durable: a company whose value to its customers and its community outlasts any single moment.