Join the ISACA Middle Tennessee Chapter session on Advancing Women in Cybersecurity on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 4:30PM CST.
Summary:
WiTT and Middle TN ISACA introduce a joint event with Dr. Ambareen Siraj and Michelle Nguyen, two leaders in the cyber security field, as they share stories about their career journey, their work, and diversity and inclusion in the industry. Dr. Siraj is a professor of Computer Science at Tennessee Tech University and the founding director of Tennessee Tech’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC). She is the founder of the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) organization, an initiative to recruit, retain and advance women in cybersecurity. In 2020, Dr. Siraj was named the Cybersecurity Person of the Year by Cybersecurity Ventures. Michelle Nguyen’s specialty is in working with early-stage cybersecurity startups to bring disruptive solutions to the market. She is a board member for the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC), an organization dedicated to raising awareness of cybersecurity career opportunities and advancement for women in the field. In 2019, Michelle was recognized as one of the Top 25 Women in Cybersecurity by Cyber Defense Magazine.
TopicsQuestions that may be discussed:
• Dr Siraj’s career overview and key achievements leading to her recent recognition as the 2020 Cybersecurity Person of the Year by Cybersecurity Ventures.
• Shared goals of both the WiCys conference founded by Dr. Siraj and the Cyberjutsu Girls Academy where Michelle volunteers.
• Thoughts on specific ways we can all work together to increase inclusion and diversity in the field of cybersecurity going forward, including recognition of current lack of diversity in IT as a whole but particularly in cybersecurity.
• Focused resources and programs that parents, teachers, and mentors can tap to get involved in helping teach cybersecurity principles to the next generation and continue bridging the gap with interested students at all levels.
If you have questions before the meeting, please send them to Programs Director, Mark Brown at m3000@bellsouth.net. All tickets are free, and you are encouraged to share this invitation with colleagues.
Event Sponsor: Palo Alto Networks
Speakers: Michelle Nguyen and Dr. Ambareen Siraj
Date/Time: Tuesday April 27, 2021 from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM CST
Panel Discussion: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Audience Q & A: 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Location/Delivery: Virtual. A Zoom Webinar Link will be sent to registrants via email on Monday, April 26th.
Prerequisites: None
Program Level: Beginner
CPE Credits & Field of Study: Up to 1.5 hours of credit will be issued to attendees in the field of Non Technical Personal Development. Attendees will submit answers to polling questions to validate their attendance.
Chapter Event Policy: See the Chapter website for complete details on the Chapter’s event policies.
Speaker Bios:
Michelle Nguyen
Michelle Nguyen, a graduate of Virginia Tech, has spent 15 years implementing software and providing IT services to Fortune 100 companies. She currently serves as a Board Member for the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC) and was previously the Director of Enterprise Sales for Remediant, a cybersecurity software startup. Her specialty is working with early-stage cybersecurity startups to bring disruptive solutions to the market and partnering with customers to adopt new technology to secure their business. In her spare time, Michelle mentors at-risk youth in New York City and advocates for Women in Technology and Cybersecurity through speaking panels at various conferences and WSC.
She is passionate about bridging the gender gap in tech at an early age, and volunteers with the Cyberjutsu Girl’s Academy, an interactive STEM program for middle school aged girls. She was recognized as a 2019 Top 25 Women in Cybersecurity by Cyber Defense Magazine.
Dr. Ambareen Siraj
Dr. Ambareen Siraj is a professor of Computer Science and the founding director of Tennessee Tech’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC). She has served as the leader on several NSF and NSA education and workforce development grants. She has secured external grants totaling $7.6 million through 2020.
Dr. Siraj’s research focus is on security in cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things, situation assessment in network security, security education and workforce development. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 publications.
Dr. Siraj is passionate about training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and encouraging women and other minorities to pursue an education in Computer Science and other STEM programs. She is the founder of the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) organization, an initiative to recruit, retain and advance women in cybersecurity. Her efforts to educate students and enhance the cybersecurity field of study goes beyond classes, research, outreach projects, workshops, and conferences.
She is a frequent speaker in various cybersecurity conferences on topics ranging from education, curriculum, workforce development, outreach, security issues & solutions for cyber-physical systems to diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity. She has addressed the Congressional House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology in 2020 on “Developing the U.S. Cybersecurity Workforce”.
Dr. Siraj is recipient of the ¬Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education Exceptional Leadership in Education Award in 2018 and ABET Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion in 2020.
