Our Schedule of Cybersecurity Conversation
 

11:00 am - 11:30 am

Registration and Lunch

Welcome

Karen Anderson: Executive Director Illinois Community College Board

11:30 am - 12:00 pm

Leading the Way

Jack Cable: White-Hat Hacker
Jimmy McDermott: App Development

Today’s high school students are blazing the trails of cybersecurity. With pathway courses that help them creatively explore their interests, we are encouraging students to find their passion. We’re going to hear from a couple of students who’ve done just that – had their interest sparked while in high school and have taken that interest to the next level.

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm

Addressing the Cybersecurity Skills Gap with a “New Collar” Approach

Heather Ricciuto: Global Leader, IBM Security’s Academic Outreach Programs, IBM

With technology evolving so rapidly, it becomes harder for organizations to find candidates with the right skills to fill thousands of open IT jobs. Much of today’s IT work requires specific skills and knowledge, but may not require a university degree. Here is where IBM’s New Collar Initiatives fit in: New Collar focuses on skills (not degrees earned) around emerging technologies, including cybersecurity, design, data science, mobile development, cloud, support and project management

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm

Career Opportunities in Today’s Cyber Workplace

Panel:
Don Bora: Co-Founder and Principal of Technology, Eight Bit Studios; Co-Founder of Mobile Makers
Kirk Havens: Director Information Security Strategy, Discover,
Chris Hill: Chief Information Security Officer, State of Illinois
Michael Lenz: Senior Vice President, IT Security, MB Financial Bank
Nick Percoco: Chief Security Officer, Uptake
Heather Ricciuto: Global Leader, IBM Security’s Academic Outreach Programs, IBM
Apple: tbd

According to the Department of Homeland Security, promoting and expanding cybersecurity education is essential to protecting the Nation’s critical infrastructure. In order for the United States to best protect our interests in the 21st century, educators must understand a new set of essential knowledge and skills that can prepare students to secure today’s ever-evolving technologies.

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Is Illinois Ready to Compete in a Global Marketplace?

Valinda Scarbro Kennedy: IBM Midwest University Relations Program Manager, IBM

IBM has partnered with 48 states and nations around the world to engage in strategic planning around a CyberSecurity professional workforce. Where does Illinois stand in a globally competitive marketplace?

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Proposed Cyber Pathway Youth Apprenticeship Model

Julio Rodriguez: Deputy Director, Office of Employment and Training, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
John Sands: Department Chair, Computer Integrated Technologies, Moraine Valley Community College
Dan Weidner: Director of Academic Programs and Pathways, High School District 214

Illinois has celebrated its 10th anniversary implementing a career pathway model statewide. Many schools have successfully implemented Information Technology Programs of Study along two pathways: software development or hardware and networking. CyberSecurity professionals transcend both paths and, as such, a new youth apprenticeship model may provide the best opportunity for our students to enter the field.

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Pathways to Higher Ed

Facilitator:
Brian Durham: Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, Illinois Community College Board

Panel:
John Bambenek: University of Illinois; Illinois Community College Board
Jack Cable: White-Hat Hacker
Tony Chen: Cyber Information Security Program Director, College of DuPage
Jimmy McDermott: App Development
John Sands: Department Chair, Computer Integrated Technologies, Moraine Valley Community College

Illinois has been focused on developing P20 models for Career Pathways that overlap institutional systems and lead students to persistence and completion. How do we design a program of study in CyberSecurity that remains current in an ever-changing environment? How do we introduce a diverse student population as early as elementary school to the field? What experiences will best prepare students while in high school to transition seamlessly in higher ed programs?

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Mapping an Illinois Cyber Pathway

Jonathon Furr: Education Systems Center, Northern Illinois University
Davina Pruitt-Mentle: Lead for Academic Engagement, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

Participants will be briefed on key elements of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act impacting pathway design. They will then work in teams to identify local assets and partnerships that can be leveraged to begin, or expand, a cybersecurity pathway from awareness in elementary grades, certification opportunities in high school, and earning postsecondary credentials, as well as employment as a cybersecurity professional.