Sametria McKinney is a trailblazer in the Bahamian public sector, landing top information and cyber security leadership roles, over the past decade, at institutions such as the Central Bank of The Bahamas, and in her current role leading the National Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) as Director. Sametria grew up in South Andros, in The Bahamas. She started her tertiary education in Mexico, where she became fluent in Spanish. Later, she obtained a Computer Science degree, from Texas Southern University, then an MBA in Global Business, from University of Houston. Sametria also holds numerous top industry certifications in Information Security and in Risk Management.

Over the past ten years, the emergence of technical roles in information systems assurance and cybersecurity meant that Sametria has held prominent positions as the first person (and woman) ever to build and establish these programmes and governance protocols within The Bahamas. As Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the Central Bank of The Bahamas, Sametria designed and implemented the Information Security programme. In her current role as Director of the National CIRT of The Bahamas, Sametria builds capacity in the field through her leadership and mentoring of a team of experts with national responsibility to provide cybersecurity support services to both the public and private sectors. Additionally, Sametria drives the development and implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCS) for The Bahamas, conducting national assessments and leading multi-agency collaboration.

Sametria, as a thought-leader, is passionate about building capacity through information security awareness and education. Most recently, Sametria was awarded Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) International President’s Award for Cybersecurity in Public Service 2023 and the ICS2 Global Achievement Award 2024 for Cybersecurity Professional Leadership in the Americas.   Sametria is dedicated to information security, advocacy for cybersecurity, and leadership in building and empowering capacity and competencies. Her expertise, strategic vision, and commitment to excellence continue to drive positive change and shift cultures in the field of cybersecurity across The Bahamas and the Caribbean region.