- Vestal has built her career helping organizations achieve cybersecurity and compliance objectives in highly regulated environments
- CEO Derek Kernus credited Vestal with advancing the company’s NIST SP 800-171 and DFARS 252.204-7012 programs
- The promotion comes nearly two years after Aethon Security’s founding
Aethon Security has promoted Noël Vestal to president, expanding her leadership responsibilities while she continues to serve as the company’s chief information officer.
What Will Noël Vestal’s Role & Responsibilities Look Like as President?
As president, Vestal will guide Aethon Security’s overall strategic direction, growth initiatives and client experience alongside her ongoing responsibilities as CIO. She joined the company in October 2025 and has since earned the confidence of the full team through her professional approach and focus on client outcomes.
Among her most significant contributions has been her work advancing Aethon Security’s programs under NIST SP 800-171 and DFARS 252.204-7012 — two critical compliance frameworks in the defense contracting space. Under those programs, the company delivers cybersecurity engineering, systems integration, security monitoring and documentation support to its customers. The company described her as a trusted leader whose vision, integrity and commitment to client success have helped shape Aethon Security into what it is today.
Who Is Noël Vestal?
Vestal has more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, compliance and IT program management. Prior to joining Aethon Security, she served as chief compliance officer at PreVeil, a provider of end-to-end encrypted email and file sharing solutions for defense contractors, where she had previously spent nearly four years as a compliance officer focused on risk operations and regulatory frameworks.
Before PreVeil, Vestal spent over a year in senior management consulting. Before that, she logged more than nine years at General Dynamics Information Technology as a senior program manager, developing deep expertise in information security management and risk operations. Earlier in her career, she served as IT portfolio manager for the DC Government.
What Did CEO Derek Kernus Say About the Appointment?
Aethon Security CEO Derek Kernus tied the announcement to a milestone in the company’s history, noting that the promotion came nearly two years to the day after he founded the firm.
“In just 10 months, Noël has earned the respect and trust of our entire team through her leadership, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our clients’ success,” Kernus said.
He added that Vestal’s work on the company’s flagship compliance programs has been instrumental in delivering the level of service customers have come to expect.
“Building Aethon Security has been an incredible journey, and I am confident our best days are ahead of us,” Kernus said. “I’m looking forward to the next evolution of Aethon Security with Noël at the helm as President.”
Vestal thanked Kernus and her team in a LinkedIn post following the announcement.
