Paul Knopp

Paul Knopp brings over two decades of professional experience in cybersecurity, IT security management, and compliance to his role as an instructor at Cleveland State University. His career has spanned a wide range of industries including higher education, professional sports, and global manufacturing where he has led initiatives in security operations, governance, risk and compliance, vulnerability management, and incident response.

Since joining Cleveland State University in 2022, Mr. Knopp has been teaching in the College of Information Systems and Technology with a focus on cybersecurity. He designs and delivers both in-person and remote instruction, mentors students, and develops curriculum aligned with industry standards. His teaching is informed by deep real-world expertise, offering students a highly practical and up-to-date view of the cybersecurity landscape.

Prior to his academic role, Mr. Knopp served as IT Security Manager for the Haslam Sports Group, where he was responsible for enterprise-level security across the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew organizations. His work included overseeing security compliance (NFL, MLS, HIPAA, PCI), conducting phishing and user awareness training, managing incident response, and maintaining corporate security policies in coordination with legal and executive leadership.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Knopp held several senior security roles at Eaton Corporation, a global Fortune 100 manufacturer. At Eaton, he led offensive and defensive cybersecurity initiatives, conducted corporate-wide penetration testing and Red Team/Blue Team exercises, managed incident response for global data centers, and developed controls for protecting intellectual property and personally identifiable information (PII). He also served as an Internal IT Audit Supervisor, managing global audits and ensuring compliance with SOX, HIPAA, PCI, and ITAR regulations.

Mr. Knopp holds a Master’s degree from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toledo. He has previously held industry-recognized certifications, including CISSP and CEH, and has worked extensively with compliance frameworks such as NIST, ISO, PCI-DSS, and COBIT. His technical experience spans a wide range of tools and platforms including Palo Alto, Checkpoint, Crowdstrike, Carbon Black, KnowBe4, and others.

Through his combination of academic involvement and hands-on industry leadership, Mr. Knopp offers students a unique opportunity to learn from a professional deeply engaged with both the theoretical and practical dimensions of cybersecurity.