Midwatch Consulting is founded by Shannon Llenza, a national security attorney with more than twenty years of experience across the intelligence community and the private sector. She has advised global technology companies on national security compliance, governance, insider threat mitigation, and regulatory risk associated with participating in classified government programs.

Prior to founding Midwatch Consulting, Shannon served as Senior Director and Associate General Counsel at Snowflake, where she helped develop its national security compliance program. Her work included advising senior leadership on regulatory and governance issues related to classified operations, conducting security and compliance gap assessments, developing governance frameworks, and supporting Facility Clearance (FCL) and Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) requirements.

Earlier, Shannon served as Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft, where she focused on national security compliance and insider threat mitigation. She advised senior security leadership on regulatory compliance, insider threat investigations, program governance, and risk management, and helped develop the governance framework and policies supporting Microsoft’s classified programs.

Before entering the private sector, Shannon served in the U.S. intelligence community, including roles at the Department of Justice, the National Security Agency, and the Department of Defense. She also served for twenty years in the United States Navy JAG Corps, retiring in 2024.

Together, these roles have given her a unique perspective on national security governance from both the government and private-sector side, experience that informs her work advising organizations seeking to responsibly operate within the national security and defense ecosystem. This experience enables Midwatch Consulting to provide practical, operational expertise in building and implementing national security compliance programs for companies supporting classified government programs.