‘You have to be comfortable with risk. Otherwise, you’re always freaking out’
From mountain biking to serving in the Navy to leading our information security team, Chris Nadeau has never shied away from danger
You might expect Chris Nadeau to be a nervous wreck, popping antacids and pacing the floor as he scans the digital horizon for threats to our information systems. But that’s just not his style. A Navy veteran who sports some gnarly scars from mountain biking and often rides to work on a Harley, Chris has never been one to shy away from danger.
“You have to be comfortable with risk,” said Chris, who serves as vice president of information security and business solutions at Granite Edvance. “Otherwise, you’re always freaking out.”
Born and raised in Concord, Chris credits his mother with fostering his can-do attitude. After buying him his first computer (an Apple IIc) in 1985, she sat back and said, “‘Now, if you want to play video games, you have to write your own,’” recalled Chris, who did just that, creating a text-based skiing game.
Those hours spent with his nose in a coding book did not, however, keep him entirely out of trouble. As a kid, Chris and his friends loved to run around in the tunnels between the State House and the Legislative Office Building and go dumpster diving outside technology companies for old computer parts.
Moving to Belmont for his high school years, Chris spent his free time sailing, skiing, and mountain biking. In his senior year, he came close to both fame and disaster. One evening, while riding in the woods at dusk, he struck a cable blocking the trail. He managed to make it home, but later that night his neck swelled so severely that he had to be airlifted to Dartmouth Hospital, fighting for his life on the way there. After graduating, he went on to compete in the first-ever X Games to feature mountain biking, marking an exciting step in his journey.
Chris had already signed up to join the Navy as a ticket out of his small-town life. “I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t have any help,” he said. “I wanted to be self- sufficient.”
After the injury (and learning that he was partially color-blind), he had to give up his dreams of being a Navy pilot, instead choosing Electronic Warfare (now called Cryptology). After almost getting kicked out of training twice for breaking into the computer systems at the school, Chris graduated at the top of his class and spent four years in the Navy, stationed out of San Diego. He loved sailing and had the stomach for it, and enjoyed the chance to travel the world. Less enjoyable was his tour of duty in The Persian Gulf.
After leaving the military, Chris soon landed a job as a contractor for AT&T in San Diego. On the side, he built websites for musicians, learning the hard way about how to create secure payment systems.
Eventually, with his GI Bill running out, Chris enrolled in community college in California and later transferred to a state school to study IT. Meanwhile, he and his wife had a baby girl. He also – naturally — took up surfing and became a surf instructor at the local high school.
“I always found time to have fun,” he said.
As his daughter was reaching school age, Chris’s company asked him to move to Texas. True to his fearless nature, Chris and his wife, Melissa, sold their house, quit their jobs, and moved to New Hampshire. Living with a friend until they found their own place, he got a job as a security officer. In 2019, he started working at Granite Edvance.
Since the organization ended its federal contract in 2021, Chris has enjoyed rebuilding Granite Edvance’s security program. He also loves leading the technology systems and support team and staying a step ahead of security risks.
“You can’t just find all the bad things,” said Chris, who is also on the board of NH Infragard, an FBI nonprofit that protects national security by sharing intelligence. “You need to be the person who turns the stones over, finds the risks, and helps the company fix them.”
To young people considering a career in information security, Chris has this advice. “Set realistic expectations. You’re not going to get a high-end job making $200,000 right out of college.”
And, of course, don’t be afraid to try new things. Paraphrasing filmmaker Warren Miller, he says, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.”
This blog is part a series highlighting Granite Edvance team members’ college-and-career journeys. By sharing our own stories, we hope to help inform students about their options. Read more:
Sharing Our Pathways: Matt Wallace
Sharing Our Pathways: Merek Weisensee
Sharing Our Pathways: Jenn Schaffner