Do We Belong Here

Mari Galloway, CEO of the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu, is a woman whose magnetic presence ignites every room she enters. Her power radiates in an undeniable way through her hair, attire, and unwavering confidence, and the Do We Belong Here team wanted to know – did her light always shine this bright or did she work to cultivate it over time?

In this episode of Do We Belong Here, Tashya Denose and Pam Lindemoen speak with Mari about how she got “stuck” in the cyber world, eventually leading her to working in Vegas with the biggest casinos in the world. As they navigate through her experiences, the trio reflects on the adage that what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas, especially in the realm of cybersecurity.

The discussion explores Mari’s evolution of self-confidence as she reflects on the challenges of being a trailblazing black woman in a predominantly male-dominated field. They also dive deep into Mari’s chapter of “Securing Our Future” by the Black Women in Cyber Collective and explore the pivotal role of finding your community in fostering resilience and self-empowerment.

Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu – womenscyberjutsu.org

Connect with Mari on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/themarigalloway/

Find us on social media – @DoWeBelongPod

Learn more about Cyber Florida – cyberflorida.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/@cybersecurityfl

Dr. Fatou Sankare is an expert in data science and ethical hacking. A woman who is passionate about cybersecurity and education, Dr. Sankare holds her doctorate in cybersecurity and is also the founder of Datacation, a growing organization that prioritizes bringing cybersecurity to marginalized communities. Dr. Sankare is also passionate about spreading cyber awareness and proving that everybody has a place in the cyber world, regardless of background, technical skills, or access to education. In this episode of Do We Belong Here, Dr. Sankare joins Tashya Denose and Pam Lindemoen to discuss her unusual journey from political science to cybersecurity and examines the connections between the two fields. She also dives deep into the experiences that she’s had as a young Muslim black woman in cybersecurity, shedding light on the moments where she feels she has to wear her credentials on her sleeve just to prove that she belongs. Tashya, Pam, and Dr. Sankare also explore our annual tradition of choosing a word to embody this year and how they hope to grow in 2024.

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” – Michael Enzi

Datacation – mydatacation.com

Sunny Myers is the Senior Inclusion and Diversity Global Leader for Palo Alto. In her multifaceted role and in her daily life, Sunny is a dedicated advocate for creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging – whether navigating the dynamic cyber industry or encouraging others to express their authentic selves in everyday life.

In this episode, Sunny joins Tashya Denose and Pam Lindemoen to dive deep into the current landscape of representation and diversity within cybersecurity. Sunny, as a Native American woman, offers a unique and insightful perspective, sharing her personal experiences and insights on breaking barriers and fostering pathways for indigenous women in STEM careers.

But that’s not all – Sunny goes beyond her own experiences to shed light on the essence of true allyship. Listen closely as she emphasizes that genuine allyship requires a willingness to take risks, challenging our listeners to contemplate the depth of their commitment to fostering inclusivity.

Follow us on social media: @DoWeBelongPod

Connect with Sunny on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sunny-myers

Resources mentioned:

– “Teeter totter” analogy – Dr. Mautra Staley Jones

– AISES | American Indian Science and Engineering Society

– Triangle Women in STEM | https://www.trianglewomeninstem.org/

– The Waymakers – Tara Jaye Frank

Our purpose at Do We Belong Here is to prove that we all have a place in the cyber world, but there’s one very important group that we haven’t yet discussed – the kiddos!

Kids in today’s world are growing up with technology as second nature. As a parent in the cyber world, there is a delicate balance between letting your kids explore the online world and keeping them protected from the dangers that are out there. In this month’s episode of Do We Belong Here, Tashya Denose and Pam Lindemoen tap into their mom-sides to give us their favorite advice and resources for maintaining a healthy balance with their kids and the world online. They also talk about the importance of introducing the realities of the digital world at a young age and what that education could mean for the future of this industry.

Beyond that, Tashya gives Pam some insight into what it was like being the only one in the room who looked like her at the beginning of her career, and how that experience shaped the way she shows up for herself, her daughter, and her fellow women in the cyber world.

Resources mentioned:

• Oh, No… Hacked Again! and See Yourself in Cybersecurity by Zinet Kamal
• pbskids.org/cyberchase/ | PBS kids show focused on STEM topics with online games for kids 6-8.
• USF Cyber Summer Camps | Annual camps for K-12 students to learn about cybersecurity and explore a career in the field.
• girlswhohack.com | Training resources specifically made for teaching young girls how to hack, created by 16-year-old hacker Bianca Lewis –
• Lighthouse Solutions | lhsolutions.org

Follow us on social media: @DoWeBelongPod

Watch us on YouTube: @CybersecurityFL

Want a Do We Belong Here t-shirt? DM us on Instagram @DoWeBelongPod 💛

Caitlin Sarian, also known as @CybersecurityGirl, is a cybersecurity content creator and the Former Senior Manager of Privacy and Security at TikTok.

Caitlin is a multifaceted woman with a variety of passions in life; from cybersecurity to modeling she embraces bringing her whole self to the table, even when it’s scary. In this episode, Caitlin joins Tashya and Pam to talk about her growth throughout her past decade in cyber, how she maintains her confident mindset even if she’s the only person like her in the room, and the impact she hopes to make with her cybersecurity content. Caitlin, Tashya, and Pam also share insights on the ongoing efforts needed to continue making space for women to flourish in this dynamic field.

Find Caitlin on social media: @CybersecurityGirl (TikTok) | @Cybersecurity_Girl (Instagram)

Find us on social media: @DoWeBelongPod

Black Girls in Cyber Summit: bgicrefresh.com

Kacy Zurkus is a Senior Content Manger at RSA Conference. In this episode, Kacy joins Tashya and Pam to talk about RSA Conference, ways women can utilize and share their cyber expertise aside from getting up on that big conference stage, and how she believes human behavior has the power to transcend generation and industry. She also shares her advice on networking, finding your community, and making the most of your RSA conference experience.

Learn more about RSA Conference: https://www.rsaconference.com/

Connect with Kacy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksz714

Follow us on social media: @DoWeBelongPod

From the young age of 8 years old, Vaillance Group CEO and Founder Shawnee Delaney knew that she wanted to make the world a better place.

Shawnee spent the better part of a decade working with the Defense Intelligence Agency and conducting Human Intelligence operations in war zones across the world. She is a subject matter expert on a multitude of cybersecurity topics, a single mom of three, a sought-after public speaker, and a truly generous person who wants nothing more than to make the world better however she can.

Simply put – Shawnee is the textbook example of a woman who doesn’t let anything stand in her way. In this episode, Shawnee joins Tashya and Pam to talk about her former life as a spy, the power of visualization, and remaining hopeful in a world that sometimes makes it difficult to do so.

Connect with Shawnee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnee-delaney

Find us on social media: @DoWeBelongPod

Transitioning into a new job can be simultaneously exciting, confusing, and overwhelming regardless of where you’re at in your career. How do you know when it’s time to move on? What should you consider when debating a new position? This month on Do We Belong Here, Tashya and Pam break down the process of transitioning jobs and share some of their wisdom on how to approach the situation. But first, they talk about their experiences at the 2023 RSA conference – including what inspired them most, their takeaways about the future of AI, and the ways that cyber conferences have evolved throughout the past decade.

Cisco Talos is one of the world’s most trusted threat intelligence organizations. Their team works to defend Cisco customers against known and emerging threats, identify new vulnerabilities in software, and interdict threats in the wild before they can wreak havoc against the internet. This month on Do We Belong Here, Pam and Tashya speak with Talos’ Amy Henderson, Director of Strategic Planning and Communications; Sammi Seaman, the Lead of Employee Experience; Alexis Childers, Security Engineer; and Kaitlin Acharya, the Strategic Operations Lead of Threat Intelligence and Interdiction. The group discusses work culture and what institutes an open and safe environment, the value of connecting the technical and non-technical sides of cybersecurity, and how remaining tenacious can be one of the most useful skills as a woman in cyber. Warning: this episode features a lot of laughter, mutual respect, and woman power!

Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) is a non-profit organization that brings women together to celebrate and foster their passion for cybersecurity. In this episode of Do We Belong Here, Tashya and Pam speak with some of the incredible women behind the WiCyS organization to learn all about their mission of building a strong gender-diverse cybersecurity workforce and how they are accomplishing that. You’ll hear from Dr. Ambareen Siraj, WiCyS founder, Dr. Janell Straach, WiCyS Chair of the Board, and Lynn Dohm, WiCyS Executive Director about the power of community, what it means to actually be an ally, and why retaining and recruiting women into this field is so important.