March 20 @5:30 PM – Dr. Margaret Leary and Dr. William Butler on Cybersecurity Educational Barriers

Register: This is a Hybrid meeting. A dinner meal and drinks will be served (Meal menu Mezeh). This will be a catered event and advanced registration is required. REGISTER HERE IN PERSON & ONLINE ZOOM. Registration closes on Monday 03/17/2024. The Location is Marymount University Ballston Center Auditorium: 1000 N Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22201.

Abstract: Please join us as Dr. William Butler and Dr. Margaret Leary will address the pressing challenges in cybersecurity education that hinder the ability of academic institutions and businesses to meet the growing demand for a skilled cybersecurity workforce. Their presentation will explore key barriers, including the lack of sufficient internships, gaps in articulation agreements between educational institutions, and the challenges graduates face in securing employment. The discussion will focus on actionable solutions for academic institutions, such as enhancing curriculum alignment with industry needs and strengthening partnerships with employers, and for businesses, including expanding internship opportunities and fostering collaborative pipelines for talent development. Attendees will gain insights into how academia and industry can work together to bridge the cybersecurity workforce gap.

About the Speakers: Dr. Margaret Leary has a Ph.D in Organization and Management with a specialization in IT from Capella University. She has taught and developed curriculum for IT and Cybersecurity for over 26 years at various institutions in the Washington, D.C. region and has more than 35 years’ experience consulting and working in the IT and Cyber fields, serving as a senior cybersecurity policy advisor to Federal agencies in the Washington, D.C. region and is presently consulting for the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs as their Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert.

She was a previous Co-Principal Investigator for National CyberWatch Center, an NSF-funded consortium of higher education, government, and businesses focused on advancing cybersecurity education/research and strengthening the national cybersecurity workforce and served as the Director of an NSA Center of Academic Excellence National Resource Center. She was appointed as Cyber Faculty In-Residence to the VA Governor’s Office in 2015 to assist with increasing the number of community college cybersecurity programs in Virginia and was awarded a State Council for Higher Education Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award for her contributions to cybersecurity education in Virginia.

Dr. William (Bill) Butler is the Vice President of Cyber Science Outreach and Partnerships at Capitol Technology University. Beginning in 2021, he served as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Cybersecurity Chair for 8 years at Capitol Tech. Earlier in his career, he worked as a network engineer and consultant in the networking and I.T. industries for over 30 years. Dr. Butler also served as a joint qualified communications information systems officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and retired as a Colonel with 30 years of service (active and reserve). He is very active in various working groups such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cloud Computing Security Forum Working Group (NIST CCSFWG), Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Big Data and Mobile Computing Working Group, and the National Cyber Watch Center Curriculum Taskforce and the National Cybersecurity Student Association Advisory Board. Dr. Butler holds degrees from Brenau University, Marine Corps University, U.S. Army War College, National Defense University, University of Maryland, and Capitol Technology University. He earned his DSc in cybersecurity at Capitol in 2016, with a Dissertation titled “PRESERVING CELLPHONE PRIVACY – COUNTERING IMSI CATCHERS.”

Bill’s achievements at Capitol include creating the Cyber Lab and Security Operations Center to the Center for Cybersecurity Research and Analysis (CCRA). In 2021, Dr. Butler won the S.C. Media Leadership Award for Outstanding Educator. In 2020, Capitol Technology University was honored with the prestigious 2020 S.C. Media Award for Best Cybersecurity Higher Education Program. He has been pivotal in forging alliances with institutions and companies worldwide, from the National Defense University (NDU) and the National Security Agency ( NSA) National Cryptologic University to Percival Engineering, shaping the future of cyber defense.

Capitol Tech’s cybersecurity programs have earned the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education title since 2003 and achieved ABET accreditation for the B.S. in Cybersecurity in 2020. In 2020, Dr. Butler assisted Capitol Tech in securing an NSA grant, chosen to lead the CAE Northeast Regional Hub, encompassing 14 states and approximately 110 institutions. Dr. Butler has relationships with organizations such as Black Girls Hack, Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), the National Society of Black Engineers ( NSBE), and other like-minded groups addressing the cyber workforce and skills shortage by focusing on recruiting underrepresented groups.

Internationally, Dr. Butler is a mentor to doctoral students and a bridge-builder through educational partnerships across continents, from Kosovo to Cameroon, as a Fulbright Cyber Specialist. His expertise and dedication have led the university’s cyber programs, students, partnerships, and funding to excellence and success. Bill is proud to be a volunteer for the veteran disaster relief organization Team Rubicon and a long-term donor for microloans with Kiva.