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FISSEA Winter Forum: February 11, 2025

FISSEA Federal Cybersecurity, Innovation, Awareness, Training
Credit: NIST

The presentation slides are available here

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The FISSEA Forums are quarterly meetings to provide opportunities for policy and programmatic updates, the exchange of best practices, and discussion and engagement among members of the Federal Information Security Educators (FISSEA) community.

Annual Theme:
Collaborative Cybersecurity: Building a Community of Awareness and Action

 

AGENDA:

1:00pm - 1:05pm

 

Welcoming Remarks

Frauke Steinmeier, FISSEA Co-chair

Marian Merritt, Deputy Director, NICE

 

1:05pm - 1:40pm 

 

Featured Presentation

Dr. Sandra Scott-Hayward, Director, QUB Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE)

EXCITE (Exploring the Enhancement of Cybersecurity Training Through Immersive Technology)

The Queen’s University Belfast EXCITE (EXploring the enhancement of Cyber security training through Immersive Technology) project explores the potential to increase the efficacy of cyber security training for third-level students through the use of immersive experiences supported by virtual reality (VR) design.

 

1:40pm - 2:15pm

 

Supercharging the Cybersecurity Industry Through Disability Inclusion

Kirk Adams, PhD – The Apex Program

This presentation explores how disability inclusion, particularly of blind individuals, can address the critical talent shortage in cybersecurity while creating meaningful career opportunities. Drawing from personal experience as a blind professional and former CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind, Dr. Kirk Adams will showcase The APEX Program, an innovative virtual training initiative launching blind people into cybersecurity careers.

 

2:15pm - 2:50pm

 

Featured Presentation

Sanford Weinberg, Privacy Evolved: How to Teach, Train, and Thrive Amid Regulation Changes

In this session, we’ll dive into practical methods for navigating regulatory change while creating training that sticks. You’ll learn how to demystify complex laws for you and your students, encourage collaboration, and turn dry content into engaging lessons. This session is designed for anyone tasked with teaching privacy compliance in an ever-changing world, offering strategies to not only meet the moment but prepare for the future.

 

2:50pm - 2:55pm

 

Break

 

2:55pm-3:25pm

 

Board Level Reporting

Ryan Leirvik, Neuvik.com

Executives do not always have the context to know what questions to ask regarding cyber program / training effectiveness. Communicating the strength / weakness of cyber risk awareness programs becomes challenging due to various degrees of understanding. In this session we will discuss how a simplified message in an executive-consumable narrative has worked using current NIST guidance.

 

3:25pm – 3:55pm

 

Featured Presentation

Jim Wiggins - Next-Gen Cybersecurity Education: Using Generative AI to Rapidly Produce Cybersecurity Learning 

As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, so must our approaches to training and education. This session explores how generative AI technologies are reshaping the way we develop and deliver cybersecurity learning content, making training more accessible, adaptive, and effective. Participants will discover how AI-driven tools can streamline the creation of dynamic courses, automatically update materials in response to emerging threats, and tailor lessons to individual learner profiles, even at scale.

 

3:55pm - 4:00pm

 

Closing Remarks 

Frauke Steinmeier, FISSEA Co-chair

 

Created June 27, 2024, Updated February 13, 2025