He is the founding Director of the business-focused Master’s in Cybersecurity program and serves as an Associate Professor of Cybersecurity at the Barowsky School of Business, Dominican University of California, where he teaches online courses in cybersecurity governance, risk, and compliance (GRC).

He also teaches Data Analytics and Operations Supply Chain Management courses as adjunct faculty in the MSBA and PMBA graduate programs at Saint Mary’s College of California. Dr. Kizilelma previously served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for multiple University of California campuses and as Information Security Officer for Sutter Health hospitals in the Bay Area.

A PMI member since 1999, he holds PMP and PgMP certifications, along with over 50 industry certifications. He is also an accredited ISACA trainer and holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering, an MBA, and a Ph.D. with research focused on information security, patient safety, and quality management systems.

In addition to his professional roles, Dr. Kizilelma actively volunteers with several nonprofit organizations, serving on boards focused on education, awareness, training, and community outreach. He currently serves as President of both the FBI Sacramento Citizens Academy Alumni Association and the ISACA Sacramento Chapter.

He was recognized for his project management leadership within the University of California system with the CENIC 2018 Innovation in Networking Award for Broadband Applications. In 2022, he was honored with the C100 Award – Top 100 CISOs, presented by CISOs Connect, for his outstanding contributions to the cybersecurity community. His current research interests include cybersecurity, IT/cyber risk, compliance, business analytics, and educational IT programs.