Don Proctor is the Founder and CEO of Bk97 Digital, providing advisory services to companies and government agencies on product strategy, innovation, technology policy, and cybersecurity.
Proctor was previously a Senior Vice President at Cisco Systems, Inc. As leader of the Cybersecurity Task Force, he worked with worldwide government leaders in defense, civilian agencies, and the intelligence community to advance the safety, privacy, and integrity of their critical infrastructure.
After joining Cisco in 1995, Proctor held a variety of leadership positions in the company’s enterprise, commercial, and service provider businesses. He served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s software engineering group and was responsible for development of Cisco’s IOS software, network management, VoIP, web collaboration, and global government businesses.
Proctor was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Collaboration Software Group, Voice Technology Group, and Service Provider Switching Group. Early in his tenure at Cisco, he led the product team that developed Cisco’s first integrated voice/data router.
He continues to serve as the founding CEO of the Center for Cisco Heritage, the LLC responsible for Cisco’s historical archives. Prior to joining Cisco, he worked for software maker Sybase.
A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Proctor teaches in graduate programs at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the UC Berkeley College of Engineering, and in the University of San Francisco’s Silicon Valley Immersion program. He formerly taught Internet technologies in the UC Berkeley Engineering Extension program.
Proctor serves as chair of the advisory board of the Lawrence Hall of Science, focused on K-12 STEM education, and is a member of the advisory board for the national College Promise Campaign. He is a trustee on the board of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California and the national board for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
