Remarks at the 8th annual Virginia Cybersecurity Education Conference, Richmond, Virginia

Credit: Davina Pruitt-Mentle

This has been such a wonderful conference and opportunity for me to learn about the fantastic opportunities available to students and educators in Virginia. I still remember attending the very first conference in 2018, and it’s inspiring to see the continued momentum and enthusiasm for cybersecurity education.

While it is bittersweet to know that David will be stepping away to take on his new role at Virigina Tech, I am thrilled to learn that Shannon will be taking the reins. And of course, always willing and ready to support my alma mater --Go Hokies! 

I want to thank the planning committee for the opportunity to share some of the opportunities and ways to engage with NICE. I’d also like to give a shout out to Virginia Commonwealth University for providing such a beautiful location. This STEM Building is awesome.

This year’s theme, "Cybersecurity Expedition: Your Passport to a Safe Digital Journey,” couldn’t be more timely for me. Not just because I had to remind my kids to update their passports for a trip we are taking—of course they never believe mom is right that their passports were going to expire soon. But more importantly, because the theme highlights two areas I care deeply about: cybersecurity exploration, which I know all of you are equally passionate about, and digital safety—something I spent many years researching during my time at the University of Maryland.

As with many topics in education, we often see the pendulum swing, and it’s encouraging to see digital literacy returning to the forefront of the conversation. 

You’ve already heard about Cybersecurity Career Week, and we’ll be discussing later how to access resources related to cybersecurity exploration and digital literacy. But there are also many other ways to engage with NICE.

Whether your part of the K–12 community, a college or university, industry, or a training organization, NICE welcomes your involvement and encourages you to take part in our initiatives.

We have a number of working groups and community of interests. Three that you might want to learn more about are the Ambassador Program and K12 Cybersecurity Education Communities of Interest, and the Career Pathways Working Group. These groups meet online once a month, offering a fantastic opportunity to network, learn about what others are doing, and share your own experiences.

If you are passionate about helping spread the word about career opportunities and pathways in cybersecurity, we’d love to have you join the Ambassadors Community of Interest and join our Ambassador Program.

Every year in early December, we host the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference--this year Dec 8-9—it’s now in its 11th year and going strong! The conference features pre-conference workshops, a student keynote, student panel and school counselor’s panel, and aa fireside chat with the Presidential Cybersecurity Educators of the Year. We also hold a Cyber Signing Day celebrating extraordinary students who have made a commitment to pursue a journey in cybersecurity. The Virginia Cyber Range also provides a wonderful Capture the Flag competition for educators. Thank you again for your support. Then we have great breakout sessions, an exhibit hall, hands-on activities, and lots more. While the K12 conference targets the specific needs of K12 educators and students, we also host an annual NICE Conference and Expo every June that brings together education, government, industry, and non-profit leaders to explore strategies for building a skilled cybersecurity workforce. We hope you will be able to join us!

We also collaborate closely with our federal partners—such as CISA, NSF, and NSA—to support key initiatives like the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service program. Additionally, we work with the Cybersecurity Credentialing Collaborative, which brings together leading training and certification organizations, including CertNexus, CompTIA, the Federal IT Security Institute, IAPP, ISACA, ISC2, and SANS/GIAC. Throughout the conference sessions, you've seen the wide variety of learning pathways available. Whether you're just starting out, already working in the field, or considering a career transition, one thing remains constant: the need for continuous learning and upskilling. Today’s cybersecurity workforce can pursue a range of credentials—including degrees, certificates, certifications, badges, and microcredentials. You can see many of the options available by visiting our NICE Career Pathways website.

The United States has made considerable investments into cybersecurity education and workforce development, and it's critical that we continue to support and expand the programs that have demonstrated real impact. One effective example is the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity – or NICE Framework. The NICE Framework provides a common taxonomy for describing cybersecurity work. Its components include 5 categories, work roles, competency areas, and Task/Knowledge/Skill statements. The NICE Framework provides a standard that can be used by the private sector as well as civilian government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. I believe your bag included a poster showing the 5 categories with some sample work roles—thank you Virginia Cyber Range for providing that!

And finally, as mentioned, we encourage you to get involved with Cybersecurity Career Week--a campaign to promote the discovery of cybersecurity careers and increase access to resources that highlight the multiple learning pathways and credentials that lead to careers that are identified in the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework). To learn more and explore ways to participate, visit nist.gov/nice/ccw. If you have resources or materials that help promote cybersecurity careers, I’d love to hear from you. We’re always looking to expand our collection of tools and share them with the broader community.

Thank you again Virginia Commonwealth University for providing such a beautiful location, and to the Virginia Cyber Range for providing support to educators across Virginia and beyond. I hope to see many of you engage with NICE in the future and look forward to seeing some of you at the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference this December in Nashville. Finally, I encourage each of you to make a commitment to support cybersecurity career exploration during Cybersecurity Career Week.