Aug. 19, 2025
NATCHITOCHES – With more than three decades of experience in information security, risk management, compliance and auditing, Northwestern State University alumna Mignona Cote has been selected for the 2025 CSO (Chief Security Officer) Hall of Fame, an honor that spotlights security leaders who have significantly contributed to advancing information risk management and security. Inductees exemplify the qualities of leadership and excellence and contribute to improving security across all organizations.
Cote is currently the Senior Vice President/Chief Information Security Officer at Infor – an operating company of Koch Industries –where she focuses on security for SAAS products, showcasing the significance for today’s rapid advancements in the cloud. Under her leadership, her team protects corporations worldwide on how they operate their companies.
Cote was born in Natchitoches and attended Natchitoches Central High School. She earned two degrees from Northwestern State, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems in December 1985 and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in May 1986. At NSU, she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority and Purple Jackets. She began her career as an IT auditor for the City of Shreveport, then was recruited to Dallas for a management training program with Comerica Bank. Since then, she has become a world leader in multi-cloud security, building solutions in high-tech, healthcare, insurance and large financial institutions.
Cote took time to visit her alma mater and talk about her journey from Natchitoches to a C suite position leading a team that helps Fortune 500 companies ensure the security of their data, including such well-known brands as AWS, AIG, Aetna, Bank of America, PepsiCo, NetApp and Verizon Communications.
The conversation has been edited for clarity.
Did you have any specific mentors or impactful experiences at NSU that you’d like to share?
Truman Maynard, owner Don Theatres/ Parkway Cinemas and a retired Army pilot from Natchitoches and NSU, hired me into my first leadership role, manager of Don Theatre, and always told me women make better leaders. I have my first letter where he gave me a raise from $4 per hour to $4.25 per hour.
Coach Buddy Bonnette at NSU…I had always felt non-athletic and yet Coach Bonnette found my sporting superpower in swimming. He spent time with me teaching me to be a lifeguard and trusting me to save lives of others. He was stern and disciplined, though, and gave me a confidence I never did have.
As for an impactful experience: although I did not realize it at the time, I was an early female “computer person,” with NSU giving me the opportunities to gain insight into early technology innovations.
My Dad, Mom, and two sisters all went to NSU.
Can you talk about how your industry has changed with the rapid advancement of technology? What do you see on the horizon?
Cybersecurity keeps changing, with the rapid growth of adversarial activities including cybercrime, with the estimated cost of losses forecasted to reach $10.5 trillion by 2026. With the geopolitical risks, advancement of technology, and the global economy, I have been on a continual fast-track to stay ahead of the curve – today being interviewed by Gartner on hot topics, last week being recorded for a podcast.
The industry has definitely changed, as I recall hitting the transmit button in the NSU data center too many times causing a mainframe to shut down, compared to now, seeing automation in everything I touch and use – from Alexa managing my day, to AI managing security threats at work.
On the horizon, I foresee the technologies merging using AI to build seamless security solutions. Paying close attention to how to thwart AI-based attacks by using AI. Cryptocurrency and quantum computing will all require advanced security techniques.
It’s interesting you earned a degree in Spanish…has that been a help in the business world?
It certainly has. With Spanish as the fourth-largest spoken language and the surge in Hispanic economic growth, when speaking in Spanish, I instantly gain respect with international partners. I have worked in Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Brazil (Portuguese) and the Dominican Republic. I have had international teams reporting to me.
Aside from your profession, what endeavors are important to you?
I am engaged in growing our next generation talent. I founded CyberBytes with an organization called T200 (empowering women leaders) to grow cyber talent.
On a personal side, I enjoy spending time with my mom. I am documenting old family recipes and taking notes on our heritage which is richly engrained in the south. I also enjoy pampering my niece.
Cote and fellow honorees, including those from McDonald’s, Mastercard, Booking.com and elsewhere, will be recognized at the CSO Conference and Awards Oct. 20-22 in Indian Wells, California. The CSO Hall of Fame is sponsored by Foundry, owner of tech media brands such as CIO, CSO, Network World, InfoWorld, PC World and Macworld. More information about the award is available here.
