William Young

Dr. William “Dollar” Young, Jr is an accomplished strategist and leader with 28 years in the United States Air Force. He is currently a special advisor to the Commander of the US Air Force Warfare Center.

Dr Young is the creator of System-Theoretic Process Analysis for Security (STPA-Sec) and Functional Mission Analysis for Cyber (FMA-C).  FMA-C is a modified version of STPA-Sec that is being applied across the Defense Department to improve mission assurance against cyber disruptions.  The Air Force has directed that FMA be used as the baseline mission analysis methodology for all of its new Mission Defense Teams.  The Air Force CIO now requires that all Service cyber professionals learn FMA as part of their continuing professional education.  Dr. Young is also a Military Fellow and consultant for MIT Lincoln Laboratory where he works on new Security Engineering Analysis methods for the lab’s Cyber System Assessments Group.  Prior to assuming his current command, Dr. Young led the establishment and served as the initial Director of the Air Force’s new Cyber College at Maxwell AFB. Dr Young is an Associate Research Professor at Syracuse University in their Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept.  In this role, he is currently developing a new methodology for securing Internet of Things devices under a Cooperative Research Agreement with the National Security Agency.

Dr Young was commissioned in 1991 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy.  He earned his wings from Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training (SUNT).  Dr Young is a Distinguished Graduate of the US Air Force Weapons School and is a 2006 graduate of the USAF School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS).  He is also a former Air Force Intern with rotations in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Air Force Operations Group, and the Air Force CHECKMATE Division.  Dr Young is an Instructor Electronic Warfare Officer with more than 2,400 flying hours in the EA-6B and B-52, including 240 combat hours during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. He is a guest lecturer at the Air Force Institute of Technology and several other institutions.  Dr Young has served on studies for Defense Department organizations including the Office of Net Assessment and the Secretary of Defense’s Summer Study.  Dr Young has also consulted with industry on the application of his STPA-Sec methodology.  Dr Young was a contributor to NIST’s initial System Security Engineering guidelines, SP 800-160.

Dr Young assists several non-profit and charitable organizations in developing actionable strategies to address challenging issues through improved problem structuring and security engineering methods. Dr Young’s work has garnered national recognition, and both Ebony and Black Enterprise Magazine have profiled him in leadership articles. Additionally, the U.S. Junior Chamber selected Dr Young as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans for 2008.