Distinguished Engineer 2020

Darrell Bateman

Degree

B.S. Computer Science, Texas Tech University - 1984
M.S. Management Information Systems, Texas Tech University - 2012 

"You will find Darrell to be one of the finest human beings you could possibly award. Knowing Darrell both personally and professionally, I've seen him in times of challenge and times of great achievement. Through it all he's humble and gracious". – Dr. Troy Johnson

Citation

At Time of Nomination in 2020

Darrell Bateman is the Chief Information Security Officer at City Bank, a $3B retail community bank based in Lubbock, TX. He was formerly the Information Security Officer and Assistant Vice President for Information Technology at Texas Tech University. He holds a Masters degree in Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) as well as a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Darrell's career began as a Systems Programmer administering the IBM mainframe systems used by Texas Tech University. He was known as an assembly language expert, writing and installing code to customize the base functions of the IBM operating systems. He recalls several situations in which he modified OS code in the running production system to correct errors (not caused by him!) and prevent the system from being brought down during peak usage. Other highlights included managing the Y2K transition for the mainframe systems, building and testing a disaster recovery program for the mainframe systems, and coordinating the eventual transition from a mainframe-based data center to what we know today as a modern data center hosting mainframe, Windows, Linux, and networking infrastructure for the entire University.

Later in his career at the University, Darrell transitioned to the Office of the CIO for the University where he worked with campus departments to evaluate and select technology solutions, and performed assessments to help them optimize their use of technology resources. He later became the Assistant Vice President for IT and took on the role of Information Security Officer for the University, where he built the University's first Information Security Program that formalized security strategy and operations across the University. He was appointed to the state of Texas Information Security Advisory Council where he worked with other state Information Security Officers to rewrite the Texas Administrative Code chapter 202 to update the information security requirements for state agencies and institutions of higher education. He is also an active contributor and consultant for the ISC2 international organization, working with other CISSP certification holders to update the CISSP certification exam.

Other highlights of his time as AVP for IT included oversight of the High Performance Computing Center to provide supercomputing resources and services to campus researchers, and the Telecommunications department to develop and manage the networking and Unified Communications infrastructure for the University.
In 2015, Darrell became the Chief Information Security Officer at City Bank in Lubbock, Texas where he built the bank's Information Security Program and manages information security operations for the bank's retail and mortgage locations across the state of Texas.

Darrell's family includes his wife, Cheryl, a step-son, who is a graduate of TTU College of Engineering, a son and a daughter. Darrell's personal interests include travel, golf, and music. He and his wife are an active homeschool family, having graduated one son and currently have a daughter in high school. Darrell coaches the Lubbock Titans golf team and enjoys watching his daughter play volleyball. The Batemans support and participate in Lubbock Moonlight Musicals, performing in various summer musicals at the Lubbock Moonlight Amphitheater. Darrell is an avid wine enthusiast and enjoys helping in the Aldephos Vineyard and Winery, and even making some of his own wine. The Batemans have participated in a foreign exchange program, hosting a student from Spain and sending their daughter to study in Spain. The experience has been rich and rewarding, allowing the Batemans to establish long-lasting cultural ties with their Spanish host family and enhancing their interest in traveling and historical sightseeing.