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  Regional Chapter Charter - Atlanta ICMCP

Background

Between October 2018 and September 2019, over 500,000 Cybersecurity positions were opened throughout the United States.1 By 2022, the global cybersecurity workforce shortage is projected to reach upwards of 1.8 million unfilled positions.2 Despite the projected 700,000 filled cybersecurity positions within the United States, 20% are filled with women.

While there is a growing need to develop cybersecurity talent to address the labor shortage, there is even a greater need to ensure the new population of cyber professionals brings diverse backgrounds, skills, abilities and talents capable of stifling the growth of cybercrime globally.

The Cyber professional of the future must not only be proficient in technical tasks, knowledge, skills and abilities, but also possess enhanced business acumen and critical soft skills in order to effectively execute the tasks required for the growing field. 3,4  

Problem

Diversity of thought and perspective is needed to evolve the practice of cybersecurity globally ; however, historically underrepresented groups have been unsuccessful in rapid penetration into the field. This may be attributed to: in permeating the field. The lack of penetration may be attributed to: 
  • Perception by employers that current educational infrastructure is failing to prepare students for Cybersecurity roles. 
  • Program graduates appear to lack fundamental knowledge, practical experience and critical soft skills. 5
  • Narrowed job search criteria by recruiters for candidates where historically underrepresented populations are limited. 
  • Limitations on technical skill development.
  • Limited hands on experience in deep technical disciplines. 

Challenge

Increasing the diversity in Cybersecurity requires:
  • Increasing the pipeline of general interest in the field
  • Facilitating and investing in multi-dimensional growth of interested individuals
  • Testing, validating and confirming competency
  • Enhancing education and advocacy with future employers/recruiters to ensure that developed
  • Pipeline is considered for available opportunities

PURPOSE/MISSION STATEMENT

Vision

To increase the representation of underrepresented groups in Cybersecurity to 50% of the overall filled cybersecurity jobs by 2030.

Mission

To facilitate the growth and development of modern cybersecurity professionals competent and capable of evolving the practice of cybersecurity protection globally.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS INCLUDED IN REGION

Metro Atlanta, Georgia
OFFICERS

Name
Email
Office Held
Cassandra Dacus [email protected] President
Sherron Burgess [email protected] Secretary - Treasurer
Taiye Limbo [email protected]   Founding/ Past President
Christopher Cutts [email protected]  Director of Membership
Open   Vice President
Rick Hart  [email protected] Director of Career Placement
Ife Davis  [email protected] Director of Corporate Partnership
Open   Director of Marketing/Sponsorship
Susan Lam  [email protected] Director of Professional Development

 

To learn more about ICMCP and to stay engaged with the Atlanta Chapter, join the Atlanta ICMP Slack Channel.

For chapter related inquiries or request to join our chapter mailing list please email [email protected].

GOALS/ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR BY QUARTER

To Be Determined

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 18, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT

ICMCP Engage | The Transitional Path to Cybersecurity

The focus of this webinar is to gain an understanding of the transitional path many career professionals are taking on the road toward cybersecurity. We will discuss the following topics: 

  1. Understanding the Why - Discuss panelist's story/path into cybersecurity?
  2. Learning the Drive -What steps have you taken toward professional development?
  3. Success & Failure - Discuss interview and job search techniques?
  4. Levels of Exposure – Discuss the benefit of joining Professional organizations?
  5. Future Goals – Discuss plans for the future?

Speakers:
Shaheda Choudary, Data scientist
Michael Williams, Healthcare Cardiac Monitor Technician 

Moderators:
Christopher Cutts, Director of Membership, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter
Cassandra Dacus, President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter  

Register Here

 

September 15, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT

Inaugural ICMCP Atlanta Chapter Meeting

You're invited to join us for the Chapter's official launch meeting.  Reserve your spot today to:

  • Meet the ICMCP Atlanta Chapter Board
  • Learn about:
  • Review Membership survey results
    • Current programs/resources available to ICMCP members
    • Upcoming events
    • Volunteer opportunities

PAST EVENTS

July 14, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT

ICMCP Engage | Winning the Cybersecurity Recruiting Race
Sponsored by Cloud Security Alliance

Join us as we bring Talent Acquisition experts and Technical recruiters to discuss the tips and tricks for landing a job in cybersecurity. 

Panelists:

Maliik Baraka, Talent Acquisition Manager at Cox Enterprises
Jamey Kinard, Information Security Risk & Compliance Analyst at Togetherwork; Managing Partner at Cyber Global Solutions

Moderator:

Kevin Dodson, ICMCP National Chair - Career Placement
Sherron Burgess, Vice President, ICMCP 

June 16, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT

ICMCP Engage | Workshop: Using a Cyber Range to learn how to Hack & Defend

Join us in a Tech Talk with Jovonni Pharr, Security Analyst, Data Scientist, Engineer, and owner of Georgia Cyber Warfare Range (the only Black-owned cyber range in the U.S.) as he shares about starting the Cyber Range – a safe space where Cybersecurity students and professionals can elevate their game with hands-on learning experiences and sharpen their skills to defend against their organization’s attack surface.

Speaker:
Jovonni Pharr, Security Analyst, Data Scientist, Engineer, at Georgia Cyber Warfare Range

Moderators:
Cassandra Dacus, President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter
Christopher Cutts, Director of Membership, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter

May 19, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT
ICMCP Engage | A Place for Everyone In Cyber Security – Possibilities in the Space
Join us in celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month as our guest panelists share their knowledge and experiences as Cyber Security practitioners.

Panelists:
Susan Lam, Vice President, Security, Risk, and Compliance, Fiserv
Ngy Ea, Partner, AIT Group LLC

Moderators:
Cassandra Dacus, President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter
Taiye Limbo, Past President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter

March 24, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT

ICMCP Engage | Women in Leadership: Bridging the Women Leadership Gap in Cybersecurity

Panelists:
Ria Aiken, Director, Business Information Security Operations & Third Party Risk Management, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Sherron Burgess, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer, BCD Travel

Moderators:
Cassandra Dacus, President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter
Taiye Lambo, Past President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter

February 10, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT

ICMCP Engage | Leadership in the Midst of a Pandemic

Panelists:
David McCleod - VP & CISO, Cox Enterprises, Inc.
Donna Ward - Senior Director, Information Security, BCD Travel

Moderator:
Taiye Lambo, Past President, ICMCP Atlanta Chapter

 

Objectives
● Recruitment

  • Attracting new talent into the field by removing stigmas associated with non-traditional disciplines

  • Promotion of diverse thinking environments not just academic homogeneity

  • Targets: K-12, Mid-Career, Recruiters, C-Level Forums

  • Strategic Partnerships: HISPI, EC-Council, Herjavec Group, ISC2, ISACA, ASIS, CSIS, CIS, etc.

  • Critical Consideration: Must be fact/statistically based, POV stories, etc. Must make it mainstream.

● Education

  • Create buzz on the variety of cybersecurity jobs available and excitement about the profession – Career Days, Career Spotlights, Open Houses 

  • Discussions regarding how to acquire skills and transitioning to profession

  • Partnering with existing educational providers to develop talent (integrate the wheel not recreate)

  • Alignment with the NICE Framework for grounding and legitimacy of approach

Methods:

  • Promoting – Ad-hoc informational sessions and networking;

  • Development of program with annual cohorts to walk the journey together with security community investing in their development

  • Ideas: Modeled after Leadership Atlanta or like Associations and/or UK Cyber Retraining. These models can be paid for by companies to send their talent for extensive development as supported by ICMCP (Perception-> organization provides a service/value)

  • Targets: K-12, College, Mid-Career

● Development

  • Purposed mentorship along 3 key lines: Business, Technical and Soft Skills.

  • Rotating mentorship or ongoing ad-hoc development opportunities in the way of one day forum covering these three areas. This may include workshops, think tanks, etc.

  • Method: To be delivered in cohort model but may also be delivered as one off to the general public.

  • Considerations: Will need to develop curriculum to align workshops and ad hoc events to competencies that would be required of cyber professionals.

● Advocacy

  • Increasing education of recruiters on the value of diverse candidates and the value of the participants affiliated with ICMCP. 

  • Consider distinguishing membership from General member vs. member with honors/skills/training/ etc.

  • Open discussion with recruiters on what to look for in candidates, search criteria, etc.

  • Promotion of membership publicly – Sourcing to top employers (allowing sponsored companies first/early looks at key candidates).  - Inclusion of key designations, etc.

Considerations
● Partnerships & Opportunities

  • http://ksusentinel.com/2019/01/28/agreement-between-usg-and-u-s-army-hopes-to-fill-growing-number-of-cyber-jobs/

  • https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2018/08/georgia-unveils-cybersecurity-center-workforce-development-mind

  • https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news-features/all-you-need-cyber-retraining/

References


21 January 2020. <https://www.cyberseek.org/heatmap.html>.

Crumpler, William and James Andrew Lewis. "The Cybersecurity Workforce Gap." 2019. 22 January
2020.<https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/190129_Crumpler_Cybersecurity_FINAL.pdf G_YvAjBSpkhEHiNfUWbBdBmFQigJMvzn>.

Kevin Beaver. "Security Careers: What to Expect in 2020." IANS Research, 2020.

Newhouse, William, et al. National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NICE Framework). Special Publication. U.S. Department of Commerce. 

Gaithersburg: National Institute of Standards and Technology , 2019. 23 January 2020.
<https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-181.pdf>.

Reed, Jason, et al. "2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study: Women in Cybersecurity." White Paper. 2017. 22 January 2020.

Sources

1 (CyberSeek.Org) 
2 (Reed, Zhong and Terwoerds) 
3 (Kevin Beaver) 
4 (Newhouse, Keith and Scribner) 
5 (Crumpler and Lewis)