Biography
Alex Donathan (formerly Royal) serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Cybersecurity (ICS) at Marshall University, where she is responsible for strategic leadership, operational oversight, and management of the Institute’s initiatives. Mrs. Donathan drives the ICS’s long-term vision, resource allocation, and system optimization, ensuring that the Institute remains at the forefront of cybersecurity research and education. She engages with key government, defense, and private stakeholders to secure ongoing collaborations, partnerships, and funding to support the Institute’s objectives.
Before assuming her role at Marshall University, Mrs. Donathan was the Senior Technical Advisor at the United States Cyber Command’s Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Networks (JFHQ-DODIN). In this capacity, she was instrumental in advising senior leadership on cybersecurity threat intelligence, policy development, and the strategic employment of technical countermeasures. Her work included formulating policies governing the integration of cybersecurity technologies into operational environments and mitigating advanced persistent threats to DoD networks.
Mrs. Donathan’s technical expertise extended to her occupation as a Technical Architect at Palo Alto Networks, where she oversaw deployments of cybersecurity solutions within the DoD. She led efforts to evaluate and integrate cyberspace defense capabilities, ensuring they were architected to meet operational requirements and stringent cybersecurity standards. Her work involved assessing and optimizing security architectures, creating scalable solutions, and ensuring alignment with mission-critical DoD cybersecurity strategies.
A highly decorated service member, Mrs. Donathan serves in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant before commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in December 2023. She deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where she served as a Tactical Systems Operator (TSO) across multiple airframes and led Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) teams. Her service as a Cyber Operations Subject Matter Expert involved enhancing proactive cyber defense capabilities and facilitating interagency collaboration to protect the DoD Information Network (DODIN) infrastructure against complex threats.
Mrs. Donathan’s expertise in both cyber defense operations and strategic leadership has contributed significantly to shaping cybersecurity policy, operational frameworks, and defense strategies at the national level.
Mrs. Donathan is married to U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Randy Donathan, and together they reside in Texas with his three sons—William, Jacob, and Patrick.