Staff Bio | Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity

James Jacobs
James Jacobs

James Jacobs

As the Associate Director of Policy and Partnerships at Cyber Florida, James manages a dedicated team of professionals that executes the Center’s Policy Research and Development Program and Partnerships Program. In addition, he serves as the liaison to Government Affairs on behalf of the Center and facilitates the Center’s advisory and governance support bodies.

James started with Cyber Florida in 2023. He brings a decade of expertise and leadership in education, community relations, policy development, and advocacy to his role.

Prior to Cyber Florida, James served as the Government Affairs Manager for a major regional water supplier, overseeing all the agency’s federal and state lobbying initiatives and coordinating all the agency’s grant development initiatives. He has a wealth of experience in the policy process and has served in various staff roles in both legislative and executive offices at the state and federal levels. In addition to his work in public policy, James is also a long-time adjunct instructor at the University of South Florida.

James holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in history and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida. He, his wife, and their son and dog reside in Tampa.

Cyber Florida2024-04-02T10:27:25-04:00January 31, 2024|

James “Jim” Aldrich
James “Jim” Aldrich

James “Jim” Aldrich

Jim joined the Center in July 2022 after serving over 50 years in the Intelligence Community (IC) in a variety of positions focused on Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Cyber Security missions as well as associated Education & Training. He is a retired Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, and Arabic linguist, who served 28 years in a wide range of assignments within the U.S. and overseas locations. After retiring in 1998, he worked for the Aerospace Corporation supporting the National Reconnaissance Office from 1998-2002 and then became a National Security Agency (NSA) employee for 20 years; the last 18 as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES). He held several positions spanning the agency’s SIGINT and Cyber Security missions: NSA Representative to U.S. Special Operations Command, NSA Representative to U.S. Transportation Command and NSA Representative (forward deployed) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. In these roles he evaluated the customers’ requirements and ensured agency resources were applied – where possible. 2004 – 2010 Jim served as the senior NSA official in Operations at the agency’s facility on Fort Gordon Georgia – focused largely on support to USSOCOM, USCENTCOM, and JSOC. Based on his breadth of experience, and previous work as both an Instructor and Course Director, he was selected to serve as the Deputy Commandant of NSA’s National Cryptologic University; responsible for orchestrating Education & Training to over 40,000 civilians and military members working with the agency. In his last assignment at NSA his office provided strategic planning support to the NSA Board of Directors and several large NSA organizations located both in the U.S. and overseas locations. Jim is a graduate of Texas A&M (BA in International Relations) and the U.S. Naval War College (MA in National Security & Strategic Studies) and has also completed several Senior Executive level leadership courses sponsored by the IC and DoD. He has been married to his wife Marilyn since 1973. Jim & Marilyn both grew up in southeastern Illinois farm country. They live near Center Hill Florida on a 14-acre horse farm. They have three adult children, ten grandchildren and a growing number of great grandchildren.

Sarina Gandy2023-06-22T10:17:14-04:00June 22, 2023|

Evelyn Curry
Evelyn Curry

Evelyn Curry

Evelyn Curry is an M.B.A candidate. Her career started in the United States Air Force, where she specialized in the logistics and security of nuclear missiles. In her civilian career, she has specialized in governing technical infrastructures and mitigating organizational risks. She joined Cyber Florida as a Senior Business Analyst in 2020 with a focus on promoting sustainability and operational excellence through Organizational Change Management. Today, she serves as the Associate Director of Cyber Operations and Analytics.

Cyber Florida2022-10-21T17:34:12-04:00September 29, 2021|

Kate Whitaker
Kate Whitaker

Kate Whitaker

Kate Whitaker is a senior communications professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education, nonprofits, and government. Specializing in communicating complex scientific and technical ideas and information to various audiences, Ms. Whitaker is an expert in program development, project management, digital media, media relations, and internal and external communications. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded a variety of comprehensive branding, fund-raising, and event and program outreach campaigns across multiple channels to a spectrum of stakeholders. She holds a BA in English and an MBA in Management.

At Cyber Florida, she leads a team of talented professionals that promotes the center’s activities and accomplishments and conducts statewide public awareness campaigns, events, and programs to encourage better cyber-self-defense among organizations and individuals.

Cyber Florida2023-08-03T15:24:09-04:00September 28, 2021|

Ernie Ferraresso
Ernie Ferraresso

Ernie Ferraresso

As the director of Cyber Florida, Ernie drives the strategic vision of the organization while overseeing the center’s day-to-day operations. Ernie started with Cyber Florida in 2017 as associate director of programs and partnerships and brings decades of technology expertise and leadership experience to his role.

Prior to Cyber Florida, Ernie worked for a small technology design and integration firm as the Director of Operations, overseeing the design and implementation of cybersecurity and emergency operations center technology solutions in the U.S. and throughout Latin America.

He is a retired U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer who served in the U.S. and abroad. His work included assignments with U.S. Special Operations Forces, the intelligence community, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, and U.S. Cyber Command.

Cyber Florida2022-10-20T15:49:23-04:00September 28, 2021|

General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie
General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie

General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie

General (Ret) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr. became the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute in May 2022. In July 2022, he also became the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida.

He is the former Commander, United States Central Command. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, upon graduation from The Citadel in 1979, General McKenzie was commissioned into the Marine Corps and trained as an infantry officer.

He has commanded at the platoon, company, battalion, Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and component levels. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded First Battalion, Sixth Marines. As the Commanding Officer of the 22d MEU (SOC), he led the MEU on combat deployments to Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2005-06. In 2006-07 he served as the Military Secretary to the 33rd and 34th Commandants of the Marine Corps.

Upon promotion to Brigadier General in July 2007, he served on the Joint Staff as a Deputy Director of Operations within the National Military Command Center. In June 2008, he was selected by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be the Director of the Chairman’s New Administration Transition Team (CNATT). In this capacity, he coordinated the efforts of the Joint Staff and the combatant commands in preparing for and executing a wartime transition of administrations.
In June 2009, he reported to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan, to serve as the Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) for Stability. Upon his return from Afghanistan, in July 2010, he was assigned as the Director, Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J-5) for the U.S. Central Command. In August 2012, he reported to Headquarters Marine Corps to serve as the Marine Corps Representative to the Quadrennial Defense Review. In June 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and assumed command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command.

In October 2015, he was assigned to the Joint Staff to serve as the Director, J-5, Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Staff.

In July 2017, he was named the Director, Joint Staff. General McKenzie was promoted to the grade of General and assumed command of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in March 2019. He relinquished command of CENTCOM and retired from the Marine Corps on 1 April 2022, completing over 42 years of service.

General McKenzie is an honors graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Warfighting. He was selected as a CMC Fellow in 1999, and served as a Senior Military Fellow within the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He has a master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in history. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Applied Engineering at the University of South Florida, a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute, a Member of the International Advisory Committee of the National Council on U.S. Arab relations, and a Member of the National Security Advisory Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

Cyber Florida2022-10-25T14:32:46-04:00September 28, 2021|