Phi Beta Cyber Provides Top Names in Cybersecurity to High Schools Nationwide

  • 01/30/17

Menlo Park, Ca. — The Phi Beta Cyber Society honors cybersecurity experts across the nation and encourages high school students to consider pursuing a career in cybersecurity. Founded by Steve Morgan, the invitation-only society is composed of cybersecurity professionals, with preferably 15 years of experiences, and ranked a top expert in their field. Society members must accept a minimum of one invitation a year to guest speak at a local high school and encourage students to consider cybersecurity to fill the growing need for jobs in the space.

According to a 2015 Peninsula Press analysis (a project of the Stanford Journalism Program), the demand for information security professionals will increase by 53% through 2018. The Society’s goal is to help recruit students in an effort to combat the anticipated workforce shortage and spread awareness of the importance of cyber defense.

“The amount of high level people who have already stepped forward and joined is remarkable – and they are already sending me all kinds of ideas,” said Morgan. “I hope the society will continue to grow and become more prominent in the cybersecurity field. Having well-known cyber professionals join is a huge step in spreading the word.”

One of the most recognizable names in cybersecurity, Distinguished Fellow John McAfee, is among the early experts who joined. “Only if the young, the bright - the future of our species - grasps the full depth of our cybersecurity implications, will there be any hope for individual privacy and freedom,” said McAfee. “Without the participation of our youth, we will be doomed to a totalitarianism undreamed of, surpassing anything envisioned in George Orwell's 1984.”

"I love that Phi Beta Cyber is encouraging the youth of today to pursue a career in cybersecurity. 

“ There are literally over 1 million job openings in our space and the more we encourage young people to explore the computer sciences, the quicker we can fill them,” said Robert Herjavec, Founder of Herjavec Group, a leading global information security firm, and Shark on ABC's Shark Tank. “Security isn’t slowing down and we need more talent with keen curiosity, strong technical skill, and the ability to analyze and enrich data. Anything we can do to raise awareness for this labor shortage and work to resolve the gap is a good thing.”

“Cybersecurity continues to be stereotyped with negative portrayals in media and entertainment, and organizations like Phi Beta Cyber can help demystify that way of thinking and show the important role cybersecurity plays in the technology field,” said Ann Barron-DiCamillo, vice president, cyber threat intelligence and incident response at American Express, and former director of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “Cybersecurity is a field where one can make a real difference – millennials and high school students want to contribute and need the guidance on how they can find those kinds of opportunities. I’m very excited to participate in events to encourage high school students, especially woman and diversity students, to consider the cybersecurity field of study.”

Additional members include:

  • Gary Hayslip, CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) for the City of San Diego, the 8th largest city in the U.S.
  • Dr. Larry Snyder, Director of Masters in Science in CyberSecurity Management, Bay Path College in Long Meadow, Massachusetts
  • Gary Miliefsky, CEO at Snoopwall and Founder of Cyber Defense Magazine
  • James Baird, Vice President, IT Security and Compliance at the American Cancer Society
  • Rob Dodson, Master Security Consultant, Security Strategy and Risk Management at Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  • Scott Schober, cybersecurity inventor, CEO at Berkeley Varitronics Systems, and author of  the book , “Hacked Again”

Phi Beta Cyber released the 2017 Directory of Master’s Degree Programs in Cybersecurity, an annual directory that includes over 125 schools. The directory is a community resource that simplifies the search for a Master’s program across the nation.  Each member provides their home city and state so Phi Beta Cyber can match them up to local schools. Members receive benefits such as private networking, additional volunteer opportunities, and the ability to display their recognition from the society. The society does not have profit motives or membership dues.

Companies, organizations, and educational institutions are encouraged to support the Phi Beta Cyber Society movement in their effort to produce the number of cyber fighters the nation needs in the years ahead.

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