CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE

Cori Araza serves as Senior Project Director for K12 STEM Outreach at Grand Canyon University, where she delivers professional development in STEM instruction and best practices in teaching and learning through technology. Through the GCU College of Engineering and Technology, she leverages university programs to enhance K12 technology education. She holds a Phd in psychology with an emphasis in technology and learning and has an extensive background in K12 Edtech and software project management.

I was a technology teacher for nearly 20 years at the elementary, middle, high school and adult ed levels, and also taught at the college level. I've been in my current position for nearly 10 years, and am excited for the future of Cybersecurity education.

I was a technology teacher for nearly 20 years at the elementary, middle, high school and adult ed levels, and also taught at the college level. I've been in my current position for nearly 10 years, and am excited for the future of Cybersecurity education.

Susana Barraza is the Program Manager for NICE at NIST. Susana received earned an Associates of Science in Business Administration and an Associates of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies- Social and Behavioral Sciences. Then transferred to California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) where she received bachelor’s in Economics with a minor in Business Administration.

Cathleen Barton consults on workforce and economic development, specializing in business/education partnerships and high tech apprenticeships. Current projects include developing and facilitating a youth apprenticeships in cyber security with The Center for the Future of Arizona’s Pathways to Prosperity early college and career high school initiative and supporting the ASU AZNEXT DOL grant to develop 1600 IT, Cyber and Data Analytics apprenticeships. Cathleen Chairs the Workforce Development and Education Committee for the Arizona Technology Council, serves on the Cybersecurity Committee and is on the Advisory Board for Opportunity for Youth.

Bobbie Bastian is a Computer Science teacher at FutureForward at Bollman in Adams 12 Five Star Schools, where she teaches AP Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Networking I & II, and Computer Science Projects. Bobbie holds a BS in Computer Information Systems, a MA in Education, and a Certificate in Cybersecurity. She has over 17 years of teaching experience. Bobbie received the 2023 Cyber.org Educator Award and the Colorado NCWIT Educator Award. She is the President-elect for the ETMA division of the CACTE. Bobbie is the chair of the Colorado Computer Science Review and Revisions Committee and was a member of the K-12 Cybersecurity Learning Standards Committee. Bobbie is passionate about Computer Science and Cybersecurity.

Fran Bromley-Norwood is honored to be the President of the Engineering and Technology Education Division (ETED) within the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). ETED has four areas of interest, Art, Media, and Entertainment, Esports, IT, and STEM. Fran has the privilege of sharing her knowledge of computer science and cybersecurity with students, teachers, administrators, and industry professionals.

For Robin’s 15th year teaching, she is starting a new position for the 23-24 school year as a Cybersecurity Teacher at Calvert Career and Technology Academy in Prince Frederick, MD after spending the last six years in Charles County, building their Cybersecurity CTE pathway. She earned her B.S. from Salisbury University in PE, a M.Ed. in Special Education and Administration from Wilmington University, a graduate certificate in Cybersecurity Technology from UMGC, and is currently completing a graduate certificate in Cybersecurity Education at DePaul University as part of the National Cybersecurity Teacher Academy. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, officiating basketball, coaching tennis, and spending time with family, especially with her dog, Pancho.

Dwight Farris holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, a M.S. in Informational Technology, a M.S. in Educational Technology, and a Ph.D. in Psychology. He was employed as a systems engineer, programmer, systems analyst, database administrator (DBA), and engineering manager for almost 25 years. Dr. Farris has taught at GCU since 2016 and currently serves as the lead faculty for cybersecurity.

Amanda Fitzgerald serves as the Assistant Deputy Executive Director for the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). She has worked for the association since 2003 in various capacities. While she serves as a liaison for community partnerships, she primarily focuses on government relations efforts for the national office. Amanda earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University, a Master of Arts in School Counseling from The George Washington University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bridget Florczak, a computer literacy teacher from Orange, NJ, has been teaching in her hometown for 25 years. She is immersed in preparing middle school students for career paths in computer science including cybersecurity. The possibilities that cybersecurity offers are vast and rich.

When she is not teaching computer science, she enjoys hiking and all that nature has to offer. She is a certified yoga/SEL facilitator. She has a small business which provides mindful yoga practices and opportunities for community engagement.

Tim Freitas is an Instructional Technology Specialist with an interest in Cybersecurity. He currently coaches high school and middle school students on the school's Cyber Koa teams, who compete in CyberPatriots and the National Cyber League. He loves to see kids learn and explore opportunities in Cybersecurity. He looks forward to learning how other coaches/teachers integrate Cyber into non-traditional science, math, and business courses. He always enjoy attending the NICE K-12 conference to learn and make connections with other like-minded teachers.

Ashley Greeley is the K12 Project Lead in the Center for Education, Innovation, and Outreach at the National Cryptologic University at the NSA. Currently she serves as the team lead for the GenCyber program and secondary NCAE-C pathway programs.

Janet Hartkopf is with Chandler Unified School District in Arizona. She is currently the district Cybersecurity Outreach Coordinator and has been managing the four-year, dual enrollment cyber program since its inception in 2019. She has been in education for over 15 years, teaching 7 - 12 computer science and cybersecurity. She is one of the 2022 Passport to Cybersecurity award recipients from TeachCyber. Her passion is to see education and industry partner together to build the cybersecurity pipeline.

Nikki Hendricks is a Senior Cybersecurity Education Specialist at The University of Texas at Austin's Expanding Pathways in Computing (EPIC). She taught high school Cybersecurity and Computer Science at Lake Travis ISD and holds a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance. Nikki creates and delivers professional development for cybersecurity educators, designs curriculum for CompTIA Security+ certification, and collaborates with state and national entities to promote cybersecurity education. She holds several industry certifications including CompTIA CySA+, Security+, Network+, and the Project+ Nikki contributed to the national K12 cybersecurity standards, educated congressional members on K12 cybersecurity education through her position on the CompTIA National CTE Advisory committee, and developed cybersecurity pathways from secondary to postsecondary education as part o

Curiosity Building Confidence is my classroom motto! Giving students opportunities to find their passion is exciting. My students thrive on building their learning and skills through Cyber competitions and activities. I am a strong advocate, with much success getting high school seniors into our local business community doing Cybersecurity work. I lead Iowa CS PD week classes, present at numerous conferences, and currently serve as the Iowa CSTA Vice-President since 2018. I have been recognized locally as a 2022 Gold Star Teacher, statewide by Technology Association of Iowa as Iowa's Prometheus Educator Award in 2022, and CSTA's Infosys Foundations Regional Teaching Excellence Award in 2023. To learn more about my classroom follow me on LinkedIn, I am always ready to try new ideas.

Amber has an extensive portfolio of strategic work with corporate partners, schools, and organizations to develop nationwide initiatives, launch national prevention programs, and design best practices for youth protection and privacy. With a strong background in organizational leadership, strategic planning and youth protection, her gift is the ability to bring together various stakeholders to successfully work toward a common goal.

Prior to working at iKeepSafe, Amber served as the Manager of Marketing and Outreach for the NetSmartz Workshop, a program for The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and at The Constitution Project. Amber holds a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.

Dr. Dan Manson is a Professor Emeritus of Computer Information Systems at Cal Poly Pomona and Researcher for Norwich University. Dr. Manson led the effort for Cal Poly Pomona to be designated an NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) in 2005, 2008, 2014 and 2021.

From 2008 to 2017 Dr. Manson led the Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC). Dr. Manson is a co-founder of the National Cyber League and is Chairman of NCL, Inc.

Dr. Manson leads competency development and documentation of competitions for the NSA CAE-C Program Office grant for the Careers Preparation National Center.

Melissa Milanak has been key in developing and writing the cybersecurity and Esports curriculum implemented in the course of programs at the River Valley STEAM Academy. ​

With 28 years of teaching experience, she is currently the school's lead cybersecurity instructor and apprenticeship leader. ​

She has taught various computer programming, information technology, cybersecurity, video productions, and business-related courses throughout her career. She is a certified Canvas Instructor, Google Certified, and a cybersecurity Project Lead the Way Instructor. ​

Over 30-yr veteran public educator and lifelong learner working to grow various educational CTE programs with a passion for building the cybersecurity education community.

Worked in computers since 1979. Recently got Masters in Cybersecurity. Instructor at Tulsa Technology Center

Dr. Davina Pruitt-Mentle serves as Lead for Academic Engagement of the NICE Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Prior to joining NICE, she was a senior researcher and policy analyst for Educational Technology Policy, Research and Outreach (ETPRO) and served as the Co-PI for the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported National Cyberwatch Center (NCC). Previous to NCC leadership, she served as faculty within the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park, and served as Director of Educational Technology Outreach within the College of Education at UMCP from 2001-2008. She has spent over 20 years conducting research on student and educator cyberawareness, and developing programs to help increase the STEM and cybersecurity workforce pipeline. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Technology Policy from the University of Maryland, her M.Ed from Lynchburg College, and her B.S. from Virginia Tech.

As Director and Operations and Programs for iKeepSafe, the host of the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference, Felicia has been the primary organizer of the event for the past eight years. She has extensive experience in marketing for education and education technology organizations. She is passionate about promoting digital citizenship, internet safety, and cybersecurity in education. She is also a proponent of developing trainings and resources for educators, leaders, and students that promote a healthy, safe and diversity inclusive organizational culture. Prior to entering the marketing and non-profit fields, Felicia taught a career and technical education graphic arts program for 8 years. Felicia holds an MBA in Marketing, an MSM in Organizational Leadership and Change, and Missouri Secondary and Post-secondary Teaching Certification in Graphic Design, Commercial Art and Illustration. She is also a Yoga Alliance YTT200 certified yoga instructor, mom, partner, dog mom, and keyboard and vocalist in her band, the Habaneros.

David Raymond, Ph.D., is Director of the Virginia Cyber Range, a state-wide resource that provides resources for cybersecurity education in Virginia high schools and colleges. He also runs the U.S. Cyber Range, which provides similar services nationwide. David has taught undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity courses at West Point and Virginia Tech, and has been involved in K12 cybersecurity curriculum development for several years. He has led Virginia Tech’s GenCyber teacher camps each year since 2016.

Kristi Rice teaches at Spotsylvania High School and is extremely passionate about teaching Cybersecurity. She enjoys collaborating with other educators across the nation as well as working with Virginia school divisions to start their cyber program. She has been involved in the development of the Cybersecurity Pathway for the Virginia Department of Education. Kristi is the creator of the summer web series HackItUp with Kristi & Friends. She serves as the Chair for the Virginia Cyber Range K12 Advisory Committee and as Virginia Tech's Pedagogical Expert for their GenCyber teacher camp. In July 2021, Kristi has been recognized for her hard work in receiving the Inaugural Virginia Cybersecurity Educator Award. She is also the recipient for the 2021 Presidential Cybersecurity Educator of the Year.

Tamara’s current mission has been to address the critical shortage of specifically educated and trained Cyber Security professionals. She has become an evangelist for the CyberPatriot Program, and founded the Michigan CyberPatriot program to grow the number of teams participating across Michigan.

Jason is the Teacher Support Specialist for UTeach Computer Science. He designs and facilitates teacher professional development workshops and provides year-round support for computer science teachers using the UTeach CS curriculum. Jason has 15 years of teaching experience, including 8 years with the New York City Department of Education.In 2016, Jason’s AP Computer Science Principles class designed an app to tackle issues of food waste and student hunger in their community. Their app, MOESY, allowed local restaurants in Brooklyn to repurpose leftover food into dinners for students. As a result, Jason’s students were named the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow National Champions, earning a grand prize of $150,000 in technology for their school.

Ben Syn is a cybersecurity enthusiast, seasoned educator, and astute IT professional at KnowBe4, noted for his technical prowess and educational impact. Starting as a CompTIA-certified A+ technician, he quickly gained Network+ and Security+ certifications, even achieving the CySA+ certification. At KnowBe4, he rapidly progressed from Core to Advanced Support Technician, driven by his passion for security awareness and culture. Now, as the Director of University and Career Education, Ben combines his IT expertise with his background as an award-winning English instructor and textbook author at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He's been recognized for pioneering online courses and mentoring student research featured in academic forums. Dedicated to blending education, technology, and innovation, Ben aims to enhance cybersecurity through storytelling and lifelong learning.

Dr. Thomas Trevethan is currently the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy Academic Program Director. He is responsible for developing academic cybersecurity programs as well as educating faculty on global cybersecurity principles correlated to the cybersecurity workforce. Thomas also serves as Chair of the NIST/NICE K-12 Community of Interest or COI.

Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, Thomas served as University Dean of Curriculum in Virginia and was a faculty member in the Computer and Information Sciences department teaching cybersecurity courses to undergraduate and graduate students.

Thomas is also a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy. His military career consisted of multiple Aircraft Carrier tours throughout the Atlantic and Pacific fleets before retiring from the Space and Naval Warfare Center (SPAWAR) in Norfolk Virginia.

As the Associate Program Director for The Center for Cyber Safety and Education, Alisha Wenc focuses on building meaningful programs that bring people together and support diversity and inclusion. Through her many years of experience in the educational programming and events space, Alisha has created programming supporting women in tech, women entrepreneurs, and cybersecurity education.

Alisha holds an MBA in Finance and Operations from DePaul University and a B.A in Psychology and English from the University of Michigan.

Amber C. Williamson is a passionate cybersecurity doctoral candidate and educator in Atlanta, Georgia. She advocates for exposure to minorities in cybersecurity and computer science education through secondary education and historically black colleges and universities. Amber is a valuable resource to the community to provide insight into cybersecurity resiliency.

I am from Youngstown, Ohio. I currently serve as a Systems Security Engineer for the Intelligence Community (IC). I am a veteran of the U.S. Army after serving 23 1/2 years as a Chief Warrant Three.

I am passionate about Cybersecurity I also serve as a Mentor for Chegg Skills Cybersecurity Bootcamp for individuals wanting to come into the profession.

I mentor students at UC Berkeley Masters of Engineering Program after being referred to her from my speaking presentation at this . I am one of 13 Commissioners for Arlington’s Information Technology Advisory Commission (ITAC).

I also serve as an Arlington Community Learning Instructor for Cybersecurity for Arlington Public Schools (APS) ”Future Cybersecurity Professionals” and “Cybersecurity -Starting Your New Career”.

Donna is thoroughly dedicated to California Cybersecurity Education and the national mission and vision of NICEK12. She enjoys collaborating with educators and industry leaders across the nation sharing best practices and resources to ensure equitable access for all students desiring to learn about and pursue careers in cybersecurity. She is dedicated to helping students attain academic degrees and industry certifications while developing a future ethical workforce of cybersecurity experts. Her passion is found in serving underrepresented and at-risk student populations as a STEM Interdisciplinary Educator teaching ICT and Cybersecurity within the Moreno Valley Unified School District for twenty-five years and Moreno Valley College for the past five years.