Cyber champion Robert Metzger dies after cancer battle

Robert Metzger, affectionately known as the “Godfather of CMMC” died earlier this month after a battle with prostate cancer.

Metzger went on medical leave earlier this year to undergo treatment and stopped attending events and taking on speaking engagements. He also ceased to do client work.

But in our last correspondence in late February, he was optimistic about returning to work in June.

He remained active on LinkedIn, posting just three weeks ago about displaced federal workers and encouraging them to look for new paths that “can take you to outcomes of great accomplishment which are outside what you today can contemplate.”

He cited one example in Juju Watkins, a standout basketball player with the University of Southern California Trojans. She attended a high school Metzger helped found 20 years ago.

The school started in a rented building in Chatsworth, California and now produces students like Watkins.

“This goes to show that personal initiatives can start down one road but lead to places beyond realistic imagination at the start,” he wrote.

Metzger was a lawyer who launched the Washington office of Rogers Joseph O’Donnell in 2011. Over a 47-year law career, he often took on and mastered complex topics such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification standard.

“All of us who worked with him marveled at his astonishing ability to absorb large amounts of highly technical information and quickly produce thoughtful and nuanced analyses,” the firm wrote in a tribute to Metzger posted on their website April 20.

I came to know him through our coverage of CMC. He spoke at our events and often provided insights into the nuances of the program. He also always answered his emails.

He knew the topic well because he was one of the authors of Deliver Uncompromised, a 2018 MITRE report that described the cybersecurity challenges of the defense supply chain.

That report is widely credited with the start of CMMC, which requires contractors to certify that they comply with the NIST Standard 800-171 that describes how industry should protect controlled unclassified information.

“Bob was always a fair commentator on our efforts. He let us know when we were going astray and when we were on the right track,” Stacy Bostjanick told me via email. She oversees the CMMC program at the Defense Department. “He helped lead us to increase cybersecurity across this nation which one day may serve to preserve our way of life.”

Ron Ross, a long-time fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shared that view.

“Bob provided his wisdom and insightful guidance to the cybersecurity community and to senior leaders in government and industry,” he said. “His steady hand and perseverance in helping the nation build its cyber defenses will be long remembered by a grateful community.”

“One can really lean into public service from private-sector roles, and Bob showed that throughout his career,” said Troy Schneider, president of Billington CyberSecurity. “Metzger was a huge force in the defense and cybersecurity communities.”

Schneider and Metzger worked closely to produce CMMC-related events when Schneider was president of GovExec 360, the media division of GovExec that includes Washington Technology.

“Bob was a true gentleman and patriot,” Bostjanick said. “We have lost a true national treasure and I, a good friend. He will be so missed.”

There is no obituary information currently available for Metzger.