John Bruce Ippolito

John Bruce Ippolito, beloved husband, brother, friend and mentor, died on December 30, 2022. He was a resident of Easton, MD, where he and his wife, Diane Laird-Ippolito, owned and operated the Bishop’s House Bed and Breakfast for the last 34 years. John was born in the Bronx, NY, on February 7, 1947, to Charles Joseph Ippolito and Edna Dorothy Knack. John lived in Japan, Germany, and several posts in the US with his military family before settling in Maryland. John graduated from Laurel High School in 1965 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from University of Maryland in 1970. John fell in love with Diane Laird, and they married on April 16, 1977. John retired from his position as Director of Information Assurance at Allied Technology, but even after retirement he continued to share wisdom and advice generously. John’s career spanned more than 40 years working in the IT industry and included being a Vice President at Comsis Corporation and working at the General Accounting Office. In addition to his illustrious career helping the government adjust to rapidly changing technology, John was an inspiration and mentor to following generations in the technology field. He taught not only the technology of business, but also the business of life. During his career, John supported a variety of civilian and defense agencies. John helped develop guidelines for IT security plans that because NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-18, and John as a primary author of NIST 800-16. He also contributed to other publications too numerous to mention. John was a Federal Information System Security Educators’ Association (FISSEA) Educator of the Year, an elected board member of FISSEA, and he served on the board of directors for Native Intelligence, Inc. John was an IT security visionary, public speaker, author, consultant, and hands-on security guru with the gift of long-range vision. He was a dreamer and creative, practical, and brilliant, who knew how to ask if there was another, better approach to a task, and how to look for it. John coupled impressive knowledge and analytical abilities with imagination. His thoughts on security were consistently ahead of the crowd. Time and again, John saw the implications of technologies and raised concerns before others had begun to understand the scope of the security issues at hand. The solutions that John came up with were elegant as well as effective. Most importantly, John was an excellent mentor and friend. He taught his staff to think, to write, and to make win-win negotiations. He helped his people understand that negotiation is about listening, not talking. He taught his charges about project and staff management – what counts, and what doesn’t. He advocated for and promoted women when it was rare for an executive to do so, and he stood behind people with unwavering confidence and lifted them up. He is survived by his beloved wife, Diane Laird-Ippolito; his sister, Carol Ann (Randy) Collins of Charles Town, WV; his brothers, Charles Joseph (Sheri) Ippolito of Dagsboro, DE, and Robert Allen (Leslie) Ippolito of Damascus, MD. Friends will be received on Sunday, January 8, from 2-4 p.m. at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, Easton. A funeral mass will be held on Monday, January 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 1210 S. Washington Street, Easton, MD. Interment will follow at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery. Memorial donations in John’s memory may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306.

John Bruce Ippolito

February 7, 1947 - December 30, 2022