Exponent Welcomes Summer Fowler as New Principal Hire

Nationally recognized leader in cybersecurity joins Exponent as Corporate Vice President and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Principal in Philadelphia 

With more than two decades of experience leading cybersecurity, information technology, and enterprise risk management at global technology organizations, Summer Craze Fowler, M.S., brings a proven track record of aligning technical innovation with business strategy. An expert in business continuity and cyber crisis management, she has held C-suite and other senior-level executive roles at companies commercializing autonomous, self-driving vehicle technologies. Most recently serving as CISO at a robotics manufacturer, she developed and executed a multiyear cybersecurity strategy and spearheaded AI governance to support the company's commercial launch. Before that, she was Senior Vice President of Cybersecurity and IT, overseeing a $50 million annual budget, leading a global team of more than 70 professionals, and establishing a cross-functional committee to evaluate the use of AI and LLMs for security and innovation.

Ms. Fowler has held multiple C-suite roles, including CIO, CISO, and Chief Responsibility Officer, establishing enterprise IT, cybersecurity, and corporate responsibility programs spanning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. She also led the technical activities of the successful international acquisition of a 350-person company in the EU. Earlier in her career, Ms. Fowler was on the technical staff at the applied physics laboratory of a major university and a software engineer at a defense contractor, working on tactical ground systems and advancing national and enterprise cybersecurity capabilities.

In addition to her work with Exponent, Ms. Fowler currently serves as a cybersecurity expert on the audit committee of a healthcare organization with over $1B in annual revenue, and she advises the board of an international fintech company as their cybersecurity expert. She was named one of the Top 25 Women in Cybersecurity by The Software Report, a well-established market research firm focused on the software sector. She also advises corporate boards on cybersecurity governance and serves as treasurer of a non-profit focused on amplifying executive women in technology.

A frequent industry speaker and educator, she has been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon, teaching graduate-level courses in cybersecurity policy. Summer serves as a board member at a regional bank and heads their Technology Committee. She has given Expert Congressional Testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee on Critical Infrastructure Protection.

"Exponent's culture of evidence-driven problem solving is exactly where cybersecurity belongs. I'm excited to build a practice that helps organizations solve their most difficult challenges and design security in from day one." 

— Summer Craze Fowler 

Ms. Fowler expands and sharpens Exponent's ability to help clients address the growing convergence of cybersecurity, electrical engineering, and computer systems. Her background guiding cybersecurity programs for complex autonomous vehicle technologies brings unique insight to Exponent's work across embedded systems, software design, and battery systems. Her expertise blends well with Exponent's multidisciplinary approach, spanning electronics, controls, power and energy, and product development, enabling Exponent to deliver even stronger support to clients seeking to secure critical infrastructure, validate product safety and performance, and protect innovations from emerging cyber threats.