Cyber Heroes

SACRAMENTO — In a state as large and complex as California, staying ahead of cybersecurity threats can be a challenge. However, it’s a challenge Mario Garcia is happy to accept. Garcia is Acting Commander of the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC), which was established in 2015 as part of the CalOES, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Cal-CSIC […]

LOS ANGELES — No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, solving problems related to cybersecurity will require a human innovation and connection. These themes run throughout Stan Stahl’s work in the public and private sectors and fuel his passion for cybersecurity education. Stahl is the founder and president of SecureTheVillage, a non-profit that turns people and organizations into CyberGuardians having

Allen Stubblefield didn’t know it at the time, but cyber competitions helped fill an unmet need at Troy High School. As a magnet school for science and technology, he thought cybersecurity would be a good fit, but is as surprised as anyone that the school now hosted 60 teams this year and several CyberPatriot national championships.  Stubblefield holds

The old saying “it takes a village” definitely applies to cybersecurity education. There are a lot of teachers, coaches, and institutions involved at every step of the educational pathway, which can lead to a lot of silos and unknowing duplication of effort.  At a time when the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals has never been

Shawn Monsen never imagined that getting laid off from HP in 2007 would turn out to be one of the best things that happened in his career. He made a career change into teaching cybersecurity and IT networking at Sierra College and found what he describes as his true calling. Over the past decade, Monsen

It’s impossible to miss the energy and passion that Brent Wedge brings to cybersecurity education. Over the past two years, he’s built a program from scratch and created a network of teachers and coaches who are ready to take the program to the next level.  Wedge is the coordinator of the cybersecurity program at Modesto

As cybersecurity education has grown in California, a new generation of cyber heroes is emerging from the pathways, competitions, and coaching that happens every day across the state. Brandon Nguyen is undoubtedly part of that group and has already had an impact on his school and his community. Nguyen recently graduated from Oxford Academy in

What started as a need to fulfill a STEM requirement has grown into one of California’s signature cybersecurity education programs, thanks in part to Carey Peck’s hard work and dedication to the program and its students. Peck is a consultant to Dr. Sandra Cano, who manages the CyberPatriot program at Beyond the Bell, a program

Over the past three years, Ed Garcia has learned right along with his students at Moorpark College when it comes to cybersecurity. Like a lot of IT professionals, he didn’t spend much time thinking about cyber threats until talk of hacking and cybercrime picked up in the media. Garcia used his drive and connections to

California Cyberhub Advisor Henry Danielson’s introduction to cybersecurity came in the form of a headache at his day job. He was the Director of Technology at the Coast Unified School District and found himself dealing with an attack on the district’s WordPress site, followed by a phishing attack on employee email accounts. Rather than sit