ASC3ND Expands Executive Team for Cybersecurity Innovation
News related to:ASC3ND Technologies Group · 2 min read
BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- ASC3ND Technologies Group has bolstered its executive team to accelerate mission-focused cybersecurity innovation. The company, known for integrating expert operators, trusted technologies, and purpose-built innovations to achieve continuous cyber readiness, has appointed Shena Cassell, Patrick Black, and Howard Young to its leadership ranks.
Shena Cassell, the newly appointed chief information security officer and director of critical infrastructure, brings extensive experience from her previous role as chief information security officer and deputy chief information officer for cyber at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command. In her new position, Cassell will oversee cybersecurity operations that protect over 262,000 operational technology assets.
Patrick Black, appointed as the go-to-market chief technology officer and vice president of services, brings over 32 years of experience in the federal sector. His background includes serving as principal account technical lead on IBM’s federal team and as an Army veteran. Black will focus on connecting customer requirements, emerging technologies, and service delivery.
Howard Young, named chief administrative officer and chief legal officer, previously served as chief people officer and counsel for CBRE Government and Defense Services. Young’s expertise spans over two decades in organizational strategy, operations, and enterprise risk management.
These additions come on the heels of recent hires Brian Hennigan and Deric Palmer, who joined ASC3ND after leading critical cybersecurity programs for the U.S. Department of Defense. Together, the expanded leadership team aims to turn operational insights into new capabilities, ensuring ASC3ND can keep pace with the rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Sarn Bien-Aime, the founder and CEO of ASC3ND, emphasized the importance of this new team.
The new hires will support ASC3ND’s evolution as a systems integrator with proprietary products. By combining the experience to recognize operational gaps with the technical capabilities to address them, the company aims to shorten the path from an emerging security need to a capability that customers can deploy and sustain.
ASC3ND Technologies Group is a mission-ready cybersecurity company that integrates expert operators, trusted technologies, and purpose-built innovations to achieve continuous cyber readiness. Its approach helps government and commercial organizations challenge assumptions, identify consequential weaknesses, reduce risk, and validate security as missions, environments, and threats evolve.