Rodney Petersen Announces Retirement After Decades of Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Leadership

Rodney J. Petersen, Director of Education and Workforce for the Applied Cybersecurity Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce, has announced his retirement, effective January 1, 2026.

Rodney joined NIST in 2015 as the second director of NICE to lead its growth and development following the program’s first official Congressional authorization in the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. At NIST, he has additionally served as Interim Chief of the Applied Cybersecurity Division, Interim Group Manager for the Cybersecurity and Privacy Applications Group, and Education and Workforce Advisor for CHIPS Research and Development. Throughout his career Rodney has been crucial in bringing a focus on cybersecurity workforce across the government, across the Nation, and across the world.

Prior to joining NIST, Rodney served as the Managing Director of the EDUCAUSE Washington Office and Senior Government Relations Officer. He founded and directed the EDUCAUSE Cybersecurity Program and was the lead for the Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC), building a strong community for networking, communication, and guidance. He further served as Senior Policy Advisor to EDUCAUSE, Internet2, and Indiana University, building on a career of leadership in higher education cyber law and policy. He also worked at the University of Maryland as the Director of IT Policy and Planning in the Office of the Vice President and Chief Information Officer and as Campus Compliance Officer in the University's Office of the President. He received his law degree from Wake Forest University and bachelor’s degrees in political science and business administration from Alma College. He was awarded a certificate as an Advanced Graduate Specialist in Education Policy, Planning, and Administration from the University of Maryland.

Rodney’s contributions have been essential to building career pathways into cybersecurity, education, and training to develop a workforce that is essential to supporting employer goals in public and private sectors and across industries. His leadership at NIST has been critical in overseeing the development and widespread adoption of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework), a foundational underpinning of the cybersecurity workforce ecosystem. Under his leadership, the NICE program supported the annual Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) Symposium for nearly a decade to further that program’s maturation and growth. He is responsible for launching the Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development Program, which has awarded 50 cooperative agreements to build multistakeholder workforce partnerships of employers, schools and institutions of higher education, and other community organizations across the Nation. It was with his vision and under his leadership that NICE supported the launch of CyberSeek in 2016, an interactive tool that provides detailed, actionable data and metrics on the cybersecurity workforce nationwide; the launch of Cybersecurity Career Week in 2017; and the formation of both the US Cyber Games and the Regional Initiative for Cybersecurity Education and Training (RICET) in 2021. He has actively engaged with and supported cybersecurity workforce efforts across the Federal Government, including his instrumental contributions during the development of the 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy and National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy and regular convening of interagency partners for consultation, communication, and coordination of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development programs, projects, and initiatives.

While his leadership, collegiality, and strength in bringing a community together to advance common goals will be sorely missed, Rodney’s contributions to cybersecurity workforce, education, and policy have provided us all with a foundation and direction for continued growth and advancement in the years to come.

Rodney will continue in his role as Director of Education and Workforce, Applied Cybersecurity Division until his retirement. Karen Wetzel will serve as Director for the NICE program and Lead for the NICE Framework. Danielle Santos will continue in her role as Deputy Director and Lead for International Engagement.