Taylor Higley

Taylor Higley

Technology Executive

Technology executive (AWS SA-Pro, CISSP, CISA) with 20+ years aligning cloud, cybersecurity, and product strategies to measurable business impact—including scaling a FinTech billing platform from $0 to $80M ARR. Known for simplifying complexity, building high-performance teams, and bridging technical execution with organizational goals.

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About Me

Bridging business goals and engineering execution

I am a technology executive (AWS SA-Pro, CISSP, CISA) with 20+ years aligning cloud, cybersecurity, and product strategies to measurable business impact—including scaling a FinTech billing platform from $0 to $80M ARR. I'm known for simplifying complexity, building high-performance teams, and bridging technical execution with organizational goals.

My approach combines deep technical expertise with strategic business acumen to drive organizational transformation and growth. I specialize in delivering secure, scalable solutions that directly support business objectives while maintaining operational excellence and compliance standards.

Core Competencies

Strategic Leadership Digital Transformation Cloud Architecture (AWS) Cybersecurity & Compliance Product Strategy Revenue Growth Enterprise Architecture SaaS Platform Management Zero Trust Architecture NIST 800-53 Identity & Access Management Budget Management

Professional Experience

Two decades of technology leadership and innovation

Director, Information Services

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

Washington, D.C.

2006 - Present

Largest U.S. federal employee union, representing 700K+ government workers globally. Progressed from Network Administrator → IT Manager → Director.

  • Strategic Technology Leadership: Oversee a $4M annual budget and lead a 15-member team (median tenure: 11 years) in delivering secure IT services to 350+ internal users across 12 nationwide sites and digital platforms supporting 300K+ members globally.
  • Product Strategy & Revenue Growth: Conceptualized and directed the implementation of AFGE E-Dues, a scalable membership payment platform leveraging Stripe Billing. Grew platform from $0 to $80M ARR, improving dunning recovery rates from 50% to 70.6% over two years through strategic experimentation and targeted communications.
  • Cloud & Enterprise Architecture: Led strategic cloud migration initiatives (AWS), modernized software development lifecycle processes, and optimized enterprise data management strategies to significantly enhance organizational agility, scalability, and operational efficiency.
  • Cybersecurity & Compliance: Established a robust cybersecurity program aligned with NIST 800-53 standards, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), identity and access management (IAM), Zero Trust architecture, proactive SOC/SIEM monitoring, and comprehensive risk management practices.
  • Platform Reliability & User Experience: Ensured platform architecture, operations, and security frameworks delivered exceptional performance and compliance standards, achieving 99.98% uptime (24/7/365 without maintenance-window downtime). Maintained 99.8% user satisfaction rating for internal technical support.
  • Stakeholder & Board Engagement: Delivered strategic roadmaps, technical initiatives, and regular risk assessments to the IT Governance & Security Subcommittee and executive leadership, ensuring alignment between technical execution and overarching organizational goals.
$80M ARR Growth
99.98% Platform Uptime
$4M Budget Managed
300K+ Members Served
AWS Cloud SaaS Platform Stripe Billing NIST 800-53 Zero Trust Product Strategy Revenue Growth

Fractional CTO (~10 hrs/wk)

Empowerment Through Technology and Education (ETTE)

Washington, D.C.

2007 - Present

Technology consultancy providing managed IT services and strategic advisory to small and mid-sized organizations.

  • Team Growth & Client Satisfaction: Scaled operations from 3 to 20 technical staff across two continents, consistently achieving 97.9% Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and an 88 Net Promoter Score (NPS).
  • Cross-Industry Technology Leadership: Delivered tailored cloud, security, and growth roadmaps to dozens of clients spanning construction, legal, social-justice nonprofits, government contractors, and insurance brokers—adapting best practices to each sector's regulatory and operational demands.
  • Virtual CIO/CISO Leadership: Advised clients on technology strategy, operational best practices, and cybersecurity initiatives, aligning practical governance and compliance with business goals.
97.9% CSAT Score
88 NPS Score
20 Team Members
Fractional CTO MSP Services Cloud Strategy vCISO Services Cross-Industry

Network and Systems Engineer

Nortec

Falls Church, VA

2005 - 2006
  • Designed and implemented network infrastructure solutions for enterprise clients
  • Managed Windows Server environments and Active Directory deployments
  • Provided technical support and troubleshooting for complex network issues

Education

Strong academic foundation in business and technology management

MBA

University of Maryland University College

MS, Technology Management

University of Maryland University College

BS, Information Systems Management

University of Maryland University College

Professional Certifications

Industry-recognized expertise in security, cloud architecture, and enterprise systems

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional
Microsoft 365 Certified Enterprise Administrator Expert

Languages

English (Native)
Spanish (Advanced)

Get In Touch

Let's discuss how I can help drive your technology initiatives forward

Location

Washington, DC USA

Let's Connect

I'm always interested in discussing technology leadership opportunities and strategic initiatives.

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