Old Dominion University Computer Science alumnus Tony Patillo (B.S. ’96) extrapolates data to keep the companies he’s worked for over the last three decades safe from hacks, cybersecurity breaches and more. As a first-generation student who also worked a fulltime job while attending ODU, he knows the value of perseverance. Patillo credits ODU to his success as a computer science professional because of the foundational skills he obtained to help launch and sustain his career as a data expert.
He was recently promoted to the position of Senior Director of Engineering for Peraton, a private U.S. national security and technology company. “We build, we integrate and we orchestra technological capabilities in areas such as outer space, cybersecurity, national defense, homeland security and citizen security, health systems and U.S. intelligence,” said Patillo. Peraton operates in the intelligence sector to support many of the 17 agencies that do intelligence work for the United States including the big five agencies.
“The operating unit that I’m responsible for has as its primary customer the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA),” said Patillo. “The bulk of what we do is classified but I can assure you that everyday our teams do tremendous work, and they make significant contributions to national security.”
Striving to be a leader in his organization took time, but Patillo has worked for several big companies in Virginia advancing their information technological infrastructure. Prior to his current position at Peraton, Patillo worked at Northrop Grumman Corporation, and while he was an undergraduate at ODU’s in the late 1990’s he worked fulltime at Newport News Shipbuilding. Because of his wealth of knowledge, Patillo understands what is important for the various companies he’s worked for – data.
“I always view data as the star that all of the other planets revolve around,” said Patillo. He believes it’s important to safeguard data when cybercriminals and hackers are out there trying to infiltrate resources. “They’re not trying to get to your systems, they’re not trying to get to your software or infrastructure, but they are trying to get to your data,” said Patillo. “It’s important that as computer science engineers, when we architect, and we design and build and when we integrate we always do that with a mindset for data.”
Since data is the guiding light in protecting and safeguarding information technological capabilities of companies, Patillo also knows trends in the field. “Information technology is so critical it gets to the speed at which it moves, the speed at which it evolves, advances; specially it tends to move in ways that tend to supersede the worlds capacity to keep up with it and be able to predict and assess the downstream impact of it,” said Patillo. “We’ve seen that over the years how the introduction of cell phones led to the demise of long-distance services, and we’re seeing it now with artificial intelligence, machine learning, ChatGPT and what those services mean to the future of how we interact, how we legislate, how we defend protect and quite frankly how we would even maintain order in a free society.”
He has a call to action for current and future Monarch. “We need responsible people with vision to help us grow and evolve over time and that’s a call to all those Old Dominion University computer science students out there,” said Patillo.
When Patillo looks back over his career, he recalls being a working student when he was employed at Newport News Shipbuilding. At the region’s largest shipbuilding company, Patillo worked 40 plus hours a week while he was a full-time student. “I came from a family of meager means, so I paid my way through school,” said Patillo. “I was the first in my family to go to college, but I’m proud to say I’m not the only one who graduated.”
In the Department of Computer science and during the mid-1990’s technology was evolving in the country and at ODU. “One of the things that really appealed to me about ODU was their intentional separation of engineering from computer science,” said Patillo. “One of the more valuable educations that I got early on ODU was in building, integrating and deploying modern computing systems.” Patillo was also immersed in early communications and networking through ODU’s Teletechnet program. Teletechnet programming was the university’s initial fore way into remote learning and extended campus access to other students who were in and around the Hampton Roads area and ultimately to other parts of the Commonwealth. “I became a student of Teletechnet and ended up using that very service to support my own studies, and it’s been really impressive to see what ODU has done in the way of remote learning since I was there.”
When he was a student at ODU, Patillo had plenty of professors that made different kinds of impressions on him. However, it was an encounter with James Cooke, former president of ODU, during his freshman year that resonated the most with him. After the conclusion of a welcome ceremony, Patillo took advantage of having a sidebar with Cooke. “Dr. Cooke told me to ‘remember that you are always here because you belong here, you put in the effort to get yourself here, you did the work, you had the initiative and it’s all those things that will help take you the rest of the way,’” said Patillo. Patillo said Cooke was talking not just about covering the next four years but even after that. “That conversation stuck with me and in that moment, I no longer felt like I was anointed or someone handed me a golden ring and that’s why I’m here at ODU. No, I’m here because I earned my right to be here. I worked hard, and I made it happen.,” said Patillo. “To students attending courses now, I know how tough it can get, I know how taxing the assignments can get, but if you had the initiative to put yourself there, then you have everything you need to take yourself the rest of the way through your career. It just takes belief in yourself” said Patillo.