What inspired you to become an NCPC instructor? What experience do you bring to the courses you teach?
I began my career supporting the technology needs of educators, and eventually I became an educator myself, teaching programming and math at Rudder High School in Bryan, TX. In my youth, I was a performer at Renaissance festivals, and I often found myself on the stage. With the NCPC, I have the rare opportunity to combine my love of performing and educating. In my role as a cyber paradigm-shifter, my storytelling and humor are great tools for imparting lasting lessons to my course participants. In my classroom, if they aren’t laughing, they aren’t learning!
What makes NCPC’s training approach unique compared to other cybersecurity programs you’ve encountered?
Most of our course participants have only seen cyber training in the form of mandated yearly awareness videos. By flying out to meet our participants, NCPC instructors can impart our knowledge and best practices as well as the stories and advice we learn from each class. In a world of AI, we put the human touch on educating and preparing the nation to respond to and recover from cyber incidents.
What feedback have you received from participants that highlights the value or effectiveness of NCPC courses?
From a participant in Lubbock, Texas, for AWR-421, “The entire course was incredibly valuable. This was the most entertaining, knowledgeable, and mind-stimulating training I’ve had in many years. I loved this course!”
How do you stay current with evolving cyber threats and integrate that knowledge into your instruction?
I spend a lot of my free time watching cyber news and pursuing certificates to stay relevant. When I see a great video that illuminates a cyber topic in a punchy, fun way, I find the best place in my courses to show it off to my participants. Sometimes my course participants are visual learners, and I want to use the time I have with them most effectively. Even better still are the opportunities I have to create and lead engaging, hands-on activities that my participants will remember for years to come.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of NCPC and its role in strengthening national cybersecurity preparedness?
I hope the members of the NCPC are empowered to continue educating every corner of the nation with no-cost cyber training. What we do is so impactful. Every time I see a student have that “Ah-ha” moment in my course, I know that’s a lesson they will take home, that’s a positive change that might manifest in their policies or procedures, that’s a cyber crime I may have helped to stop.
What is your favorite NCPC course?
My favorite NCPC course is AWR-421 (soon to become PER-421), Demystifying Cyber Attacks. It is a very approachable one-day course in which we help participants understand cybercrime from the perspective of the hacker. This course begins with the foundations of cybersecurity, and then we spend the rest of the day performing a cyber magic show. Participants really enjoy seeing cyberattacks performed live, and they each leave with a new understanding of how they are at risk and how they can better leverage their resources to protect themselves.
How does the NCPC prepare participants for real-world cybersecurity concerns?
I think the best way we, at TEEX, help prepare participants through the NCPC is with our flagship course, PER-371 Cybersecurity Incident Response and Management. In this course, we simulate a municipal network and have participants respond to live cyber attacks from multiple vectors. We turn up the heat by simulating internal and external stakeholders, the mayor, the news, the Incident Command System, and more. Participants leave this course with a new appreciation for the demands and pressures of a real cyber incident and get practice staying cool, working as a team, and documenting.