Cyber Florida

About Cyber Florida

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So far Cyber Florida has created 81 blog entries.

Pam Lindemoen

With nearly 30 years of experience, Pam Lindemoen brings a wealth of knowledge in information security, application development, and infrastructure to the organization. Ms. Lindemoen recently joined the Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center as Chief Security Officer & VP of Strategy, where she will oversee the organization’s security operations, including cybersecurity and information security, while also leading strategic planning and partner engagement.

Ms. Lindemoen’s expertise spans various industries, including healthcare, technology, financial services, and manufacturing. Most recently, she served as CISO Advisor at Cisco. In this role, among other duties, she was instrumental in facilitating the CISO Leadership Development Program that RH-ISAC provided to develop industry talent. Before her tenure with Cisco, she served as Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at Anthem, Inc. While at Anthem, she was considered a bold and strategic thinker who envisioned and delivered a world-class Enterprise Information Security strategy, including the Steering Committee with cross-functional business and technology membership. Pam was also a key advisor to the litigation process and full program development during and after an unprecedented cyberattack.

Before Anthem, Ms. Lindemoen had significant success leading business development, software development, IT operations, program improvements, and direct sales. In her executive leadership positions, she has played pivotal roles in developing innovative products and services for key accounts and developed IT solution strategies that led to multibillion-dollar contracts with global vendors and customers. She is dedicated to encouraging women in business and IT. In addition to her track record of mentoring women in the Information Security space, she was an inaugural member of the Anthem Women in Technology Steering Committee. In addition to her service on the Board of Advisors, Ms. Lindemoen is a co-host on the Cyber Florida at USF podcast “Do We Belong Here?”, which examines opportunities and challenges facing women and other underrepresented groups in the tech industry. She is also an avid community activist and volunteer for the Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity, and Tampa Bay Watch. Pam is a native of Atlanta, GA, and currently resides in St. Petersburg, FL, where she enjoys cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning, boating, and spending time with her family.

2024-10-07T15:26:10-04:00September 25, 2024|

Lt. Gen. (Ret) Kenneth A. Minihan

Lieutenant General Ken Minihan is a Managing Director at Paladin. He retired from the U.S. Air Force on June 1, 1999, after more than 33 years of active commissioned service to the nation. On his final tour of duty, he served as the 14th Director of the National Security Agency/Central Security Service, a combat support agency of the Department of Defense with military and civilian personnel stationed worldwide. As Director, he was the senior uniformed intelligence officer in the Department of Defense. He has also served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He has over thirty years of experience in national, defense, and military information services, information technology development, and diverse customer support services.

Lieutenant General Ken Minihan has vast experience in large complex global and national information operations, information technology deployment, and customer requirement satisfaction. While the Director of NSA, he helped conceive and provide strategic direction to the National Information Assurance Program. He also created strategic approaches and development concepts for emerging telecommunications technology while redesigning core business skills and efficient operations. He has the unique ability to integrate complex programs and business operations allowing the organization to focus on cost and schedule goals.

Lieutenant General Ken Minihan is a Managing Director in the Paladin Capital Group. He is a past President of the Security Affairs Support Association and a Founder of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance in Washington D.C., the flagship organization for industry, government partners, and academia to enhance effective intelligence development. He is also a member of the Air Force Association and a number of public and private boards. He often serves on government pro bono committees and panels to examine ways to enhance homeland and national security capabilities.

Lieutenant General Ken Minihan has a Baccalaureate Degree from Florida State University, a Masters Degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, and has completed executive development programs at the University of Illinois and Harvard University. Among his awards and decorations are the National Security Medal, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.

2024-09-25T14:14:52-04:00September 25, 2024|

Dr. Joshua Whitman

Joshua Whitman is the Interim Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships at the McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security, where he leads initiatives in policy research and partnerships to enhance cybersecurity and protect critical infrastructure. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Auburn University and is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity at Harvard. With over two decades of experience in public policy, education, and strategic consulting, Joshua has served in various leadership roles across sectors. 

2024-10-28T16:21:34-04:00September 25, 2024|

John Wilgis

John Wilgis has been with the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) since 2006 and currently serves as the vice president for member and business relations. He is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with extensive hospital administration and patient care experience. John has a diverse background incorporating business practices, teaching and lecturing, education coordination, professional mentoring, fundraising, finance administration, risk and emergency management, program and project management, and performance improvement and analytics.

In this role at FHA, John manages hospital outreach to communicate, promote, and market FHA programs, initiatives, and services. He also works to create and administer business opportunities in support of FHA member needs and educational programs and meetings. He also provides emergency management services and coordination with Florida’s hospital community for disaster events.

John’s principal areas of interest involve business development, workplace and occupational safety, patient safety and clinical outcomes improvement, cybersecurity, supply chain coordination and aggregation, and hospital and health system emergency preparedness, planning, response, mitigation, and recovery.

2024-10-28T16:27:44-04:00September 25, 2024|

Patrick Gorman

Patrick Gorman serves as Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton. With 25 years of experience, Gorman has worked in multiple capacities in security, strategy, defense and intelligence practice areas. He recently served as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) for Bridgewater Associates and from 2011 to 2013, Gorman was the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, where he had oversight of security policy, technology and operations. He honed his expertise at Booz Allen Hamilton as Senior Executive Advisor of Cybersecurity where he was responsible for strategic planning, business development, capability development, marketing and capture management for the firm’s cyber portfolio. His rich background stems from holding the position as Asst. Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Intelligence Community and over ten years in the USAF as part of The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS).

2024-09-25T14:06:17-04:00September 25, 2024|

Vice Admiral (Ret.) J. Michael “Mike” McConnell

J. Michael “Mike” McConnell, VADM, USN, Retired, served as Executive Director of Cyber Florida from 2019 to 2022. Previously, he has served as Director of the National Security Agency (DIRNSA) and Director of US National Intelligence (DNI) under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and as Vice Chairman of Booz Allen Hamilton. 

With a 50-year career focused on international and foreign intelligence, Vice Adm. McConnell brings a depth of knowledge and experience acquired from service in both the public and private sectors. His 29-year career as a US Navy intelligence officer included significant assignments that impacted national security. During Operation Desert Storm and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Vice Adm. McConnell served as the Intelligence Officer for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell, and the Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney.  

From 1992 to 1996, he served as the Director of the National Security Agency (DIRNSA) under Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton. As DIRNSA, he led the agency during a critical period as it adapted to the multi-polar threats brought about by the end of the Cold War, providing global intelligence and information security services to the White House, Cabinet officials, Congress, and a broad array of military and civil intelligence agencies. 

After retiring from the US Navy in 1996, Vice Adm. McConnell joined Booz Allen Hamilton to lead development of the firm’s Information Assurance and Intelligence business, focused on policy, operations, transformation, homeland security, intelligence analytics, and counterterrorism. 

Upon being asked by President George W. Bush in 2007 to become the second US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), he left Booz Allen to serve as the DNI, a position of Cabinet rank, and as a member of the White House National Security Council for two years under Presidents Bush and Obama. During this time, he successfully advocated for a multi-billion-dollar investment to substantially improve cybersecurity standards for the US—securing support from two US presidents and Congress. 

As DNI, he managed the expansive national Intelligence Community— an organization with more than 100,000 people and an annual budget of over $50 billion—and he had extensive interactions with the White House, the Cabinet, Congress, international leaders, and the US business community.  

In 2009, Vice Adm. McConnell returned to Booz Allen as Executive Vice President to lead the firm’s Intelligence business, and in 2011, he was elevated to the position of Vice Chairman of the firm, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 2014. He continues to serve as a Senior Executive Advisor for Booz Allen.  

Vice Adm. McConnell’s interest since his service as Director of NSA in 1992–96 has been to improve the cybersecurity posture of businesses and government agencies around the world to better protect them from hackers, criminals, terrorists, and nation-states focused on economic espionage or destruction of vital data.  

He serves on the US-based Board of Directors of Nokia for US-based business operations as well as the boards of numerous start-up companies that are developing technologies and capabilities for improved cybersecurity posture.  

Vice Adm. McConnell served as the Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Cyber Florida from its founding in 2014 until 2020, when he was appointed executive director of the center by University of South Florida President Dr. Steven C. Currall. In 2024, Vice Adm. McConnell became Chair Emeritus for Cyber Florida at USF Board of Advisors.

In addition to having received many of the nation’s highest military awards for meritorious service, Vice Adm. McConnell has twice received the nation’s highest award for service in the US Intelligence Community—once from President Clinton and once from President George W. Bush. Vice Adm. McConnell has also served as the Chairman and CEO of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), and he is the 2011 recipient of INSA’s William Oliver Baker Award, which is awarded annually for sustained and excellent service in intelligence and national security. 

Vice Adm. McConnell holds an MPA degree from George Washington University, is a graduate of the National Defense University (Global Telecom) and the National Defense Intelligence College (Strategic Intelligence) and holds a BA in Economics from Furman University. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Vice Adm. McConnell has been awarded several honorary doctorates, the most recent from the University of South Florida in 2016.

After more than five decades of distinguished public service, Vice Adm. McConnell has formally retired from public life. We at Cyber Florida at USF are eternally grateful for the critical role he played in establishing the organization and guiding its success.

2024-09-25T14:00:24-04:00September 25, 2024|

CyberSecureFlorida Final Report Appendix

2024-09-25T13:34:10-04:00September 25, 2024|

USF CyberHerd Gets a Competitive Edge

The University of South Florida is leading the way in cybersecurity education as the largest university to integrate an industry-leading tool into its classrooms and curriculum. Known as Hack The Box, the cutting-edge platform equips cybersecurity students with hands-on experience in navigating real-world cybersecurity threats, preparing them for successful careers in the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity.

“We are delighted to support this engagement with Hack The Box, which provides a world-class platform to teach and train USF students as the next generation of elite cyber warriors,” said retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, executive director of the USF Global and National Security Institute and Cyber Florida at USF.

“While imposter syndrome as a woman in cybersecurity is real—especially with so few women in my classes—I founded a Women in CyberSecurity chapter at USF to help change that. And as one of the first women to join CyberHerd, the team has truly helped me feel like I belong. My competitive nature has always driven me forward on my path, but it is my hope that along the way, I can clear it for other women to walk down it too,” said Brianna Deaubler, CyberHerd member and cybersecurity student.

Hack The Box features continuously updated modules that expose students to a wide range of cybersecurity threats to sharpen their offensive and defensive security expertise, ultimately enhancing their cyber-attack readiness. The rapidly evolving fields of cybersecurity will play a significant role in the formation of a new college at USF, which will also focus on artificial intelligence and computing – positioning the Tampa Bay region and state of Florida as a national leader for the technology and defense industries.

Read the full article at USF.edu>>https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-cybersecurity-program-gives-students-a-competitive-edge-in-career-readiness.aspx.

2024-09-18T10:49:39-04:00September 18, 2024|

National Cyber Director Announces Service for America

Sept. 4, 2024—Washington, D.C.—Today, the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is proud to announce Service for America, the Biden-Harris Administration’s recruiting, hiring, and engagement sprint aimed at preparing our country for a digitally enabled future by connecting Americans to good-paying, meaningful jobs in cyber.

The #ServiceForAmerica sprint is launched in support of the 2023 National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, a multi-pronged approach to expand the cyber workforce and education system to better prepare all Americans for jobs in cyber. The sprint will continue through Cybersecurity Awareness Month and highlight the importance of skills-based hiring and work-based learning opportunities to support expanding the cyber workforce in government and private industry.

Find out more about this launch at the ONCD blog and follow @ONCD on Twitter and LinkedIn for updates and amplification.

2024-10-08T14:28:15-04:00September 4, 2024|