Nine years in the U.S. Navy gave Princeton Baker a foundation he still uses in cybersecurity today. As a Hospital Corpsman and in work around weapons systems, he learned habits that carried into his next career: follow the procedure, write down what you did, and pay attention to what could go wrong.
Princeton is also vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the GRC Engineering Club. Atlanta Black Tech recently recognized him during Veterans Week, and we’re glad to see him getting his flowers. His own reflection on that experience gives us something worth carrying beyond the occasion.
Describing his work building security programs around PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and SOC 2, Princeton put it plainly:
“Make the safe way the easy way, and be able to prove it’s happening.”
That’s a line we can get behind.
Make Good Practice Easier to Follow
A procedure has to work for the person using it. Can they understand what to do? Can they follow it when they’re tired, busy, or dealing with something unexpected? Can somebody else check that the work happened?
Princeton’s words get at a practical goal for GRC engineering: make good decisions easier to carry out, then build the evidence into the process.
It’s a useful question to bring to your own work. Where does the safer choice require extra effort? What could you simplify, clarify, or automate? A small improvement to a difficult process can be a worthwhile project, especially if you can explain the problem and show what changed.
Bring Your Experience With You
Princeton wrote that neither of his Navy roles had “cyber” in the title. When he moved into security, though, much of the work felt familiar.
For other veterans considering cybersecurity or GRC, take some time to examine that overlap in your own experience. Maintaining equipment, preparing for inspections, training people, and documenting a response all involve responsibilities you may be able to connect to a future role. Be specific about what you did, what depended on it, and how you knew it was done correctly.
The same advice applies to career seekers coming from operations, healthcare, education, customer service, or another field. Start with work you understand. Look at the requirements of the role you want, identify the gaps, and build something small that helps you practice.
A clear procedure, a sample assessment, or a simple tool can give you something concrete to discuss. Explain your decisions and what you’re still learning. Give people a way to see how you think.
Leadership That Got Us in the Room
We’ve also seen Princeton’s willingness to contribute firsthand.
Early in the chapter’s development, BSides Atlanta came up in a conversation with Princeton. He let the team know he had signed up to volunteer, which helped rally the rest of our leadership to join the event. BSides Atlanta 2026 became our first opportunity to meet everyone in person and connect.
That’s servant leadership in action. He offered his time to help an existing community event succeed, and his example encouraged the rest of us to get involved.
There’s advice for career seekers in that, too. Find a useful way to participate. Volunteer, help someone work through a problem, or share something you’ve learned. Those contributions give people a chance to know you through the work you do together.
We’re grateful for Princeton’s military service and proud to have him helping lead Atlanta. “Make the safe way the easy way” is a principle worth championing, and we’re glad he gave us the words.
Meet Princeton and the rest of Atlanta’s chapter leadership.