Sametria McKinney is a national leader in cybersecurity and digital resilience, currently serving as Director of the Bahamas’ National Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT-BS). In this role, she leads efforts to strengthen national cybersecurity capacity, build resilience across critical sectors, and coordinate the implementation of The Bahamas’ National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Over the course of her career, Sametria has broken new ground as one of the first women to hold top cybersecurity leadership roles in The Bahamas, including serving as the inaugural Chief Information Security Officer at the Central Bank
of The Bahamas. Today, she continues to champion cyber resilience through technical capacity building, national awareness campaigns, and policy development.

Her passion extends beyond strategy and systems, she is deeply committed to advancing gender representation in cybersecurity, mentoring women entering the field, and leading child online protection initiatives across schools and communities.

Sametria’s leadership has been recognized globally: she received the ISSA International President’s Award for Cybersecurity in Public Service (2023) and the ISC² Global Achievement Award for Professional Leadership in the Americas (2024). She is frequently invited to speak at regional and international forums, where she shares her expertise on building cyber resilience
and shaping inclusive, people-centered approaches to digital security.