Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the members of the Virginia Cyber Security Commission, a group established by executive order which will bring public and private sector experts together to make recommendations on how to make Virginia a leader in cyber security.
The Commission will be co-chaired by Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson and Richard Clarke, Chairman and CEO of Good Harbor Security Risk Management. The Commission includes industry leaders from across the Commonwealth as well as representatives from the McAuliffe Administration and will hold its inaugural meeting on June 11th.
“This group of experts, industry leaders, and administration officials will work together to identify ways in which the public and private sector can work together to bolster Virginia’s cyber security industry so we can expand Virginia’s economic footprint in cyber technology and protect the Commonwealth from cyber threats,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The Commission will also explore opportunities to advance education in key STEM sectors that will support a workforce pipeline to prepare Virginia students for jobs in industries of the 21st Century including cyber security.”
The Cyber Security Commission was established by Executive Order (EO8) in February 2014.
Responsibilities of the Commission:
The Commission’s responsibilities shall include the following:
- Identify high risk cyber security issues facing the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Provide advice and recommendations related to securing Virginia’s state networks, systems, and data, including interoperability, standardized plans and procedures, and evolving threats and best practices to prevent the unauthorized access, theft, alteration, and destruction of the Commonwealth’s data.
- Provide suggestions for the addition of cyber security to Virginia’s Emergency Management and Disaster Response capabilities, including testing cyber security incident response scenarios, recovery and restoration plans, and coordination with the federal government – in consultation with the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.
- Offer suggestions for promoting awareness of cyber hygiene among the Commonwealth’s citizens, businesses and government entities;
- Present recommendations for cutting edge science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educational and training programs for all ages, including K-12, community colleges, universities, in order to foster an improved cyber security workforce pipeline and create cyber security professionals with a wide range of expertise.
- Offer strategies to advance private sector cyber security economic development opportunities, including innovative technologies, research and development, and start-up firms, and maximize public-private partnerships throughout the Commonwealth.
- Provide suggestions for coordinating the review of and assessing opportunities for cyber security private sector growth as it relates to military facilities and defense activities in Virginia.
Members of the Commission:
Commission to be co-chaired by Richard Clarke and Secretary of Technology, Karen Jackson.
Mr. Richard A. Clarke – Chairman and CEO of Good Harbor Security Risk Management and an internationally recognized expert on cyber security, homeland security, national security, and counterterrorism. Mr. Clarke served the last three Presidents as a senior White House Advisor, including as Special Advisor to the President for Cyber Security and National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, and was a member of President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies.
Ms. Rhonda Eldridge – Director of Engineering at Technica Corporation. In her current role she leads six divisions within Technica and is responsible for internal research and development, visioning, and business development – focusing on cutting edge cyber security and IT projects for Federal customers including the Department of Defense.
Ms. Jennifer Bisceglie, President and CEO, Interos Solutions, Inc. Ms. Bisceglie has more than 20 years of commercial technology and business operations experience in cyber security, business process re-engineering, and commercial technology implementation for diverse companies industries and governments.
Mr. Paul Kurtz is the Chief Strategy Officer at CyberPoint. Mr. Kurtz leads the development and communication of CyberPoint’s strategic vision for managing cyber threats. A recognized cyber security expert, he has held senior positions in both industry and government. During his government service, Kurtz was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Critical Infrastructure Protection on the White House’s Homeland Security Council (HSC).
Mr. Paul Tiao, Attorney and partner with the international law firm of Hunton and Williams, LLP where he is a leader in the firm’s global privacy and cyber security practice. Prior to joining the firm Mr. Tiao served as Senior Counselor for cyber security and technology to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller.
Dr. Barry Horowitz, Munster Professor of Systems and Information Engineering and Chair of the Systems and Information Engineering Department at the University of Virginia. Dr. Horowitz’ research effort center on economic models and system technologies related to cyber security. He currently is leading a DoD sponsored research effort focused on embedding security solutions into systems, referred to as System Aware Cyber Security Dr. Horowitz serves as a member of the Naval Studies Board (NSB) of the National Academy of Science and recently led a Chief of Naval Operations sponsored study for the NSB on cyber security.
Mr. Andrew H. Turner, Vice President and Head of Global Security, VISA. Mr. Turner developed, from the ground up, VISA’s Cyber Security organization, including the Attack Surface Management, Threat Intelligence, Incident Response and Digital Brand Protection Programs. He also implemented a Cyber Fusion based program utilizing intelligence collection, analysis and overall sensor enrichment to actively monitor and defend against global threats to the VISA enterprise and ecosystem. Prior to joining VISA, Mr. Turner served as Cyber Intelligence Practice Director for the Microsoft Corporation.
Mr. Jeffrey C. “J.C.” Dodson, Global Chief Information Security Officer, BAE Systems. Mr. Dodson is a global cyber security expert across government, defense, aerospace, law enforcement, and advanced technology sectors. He is the chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association’s Industrial Security Committee and was appointed to serve as an Industry Representative to the U.S. Government’s National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee.
Ms. Jandria Alexander, Principal Director of the Cyber Security Subdivision in the Engineering Technology Group at the Aerospace Company. Ms. Alexander currently leads cyber and network security support to numerous customers and leads teams performing systems engineering for cyber operations, including architecture, requirements and concept of operations (CONOPS) support for integrating cyber operations into advanced ground and space segments.
Ms. Elizabeth “Betsy” Hight – Retired US Navy rear admiral who served as the Vice Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DISA). Most recently she served as Vice President of the Hewlett Packard’s Enterprise Services U.S. Public Sector Cybersecurity Practice.
Mr. John Wood is chief executive officer, chairman of the board and director for Telos Corporation. As CEO, he orchestrates the company’s support of the federal government in the critical areas of cyber operations and defense, secure communications and collaboration, and identity assurance.
Anne Holton, Secretary of Education
John Harvey, Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
Dr. Bill Hazel, Secretary of Health and Human Resources
Karen Jackson, Secretary of Technology
Maurice Jones, Secretary of Commerce and Trade
Brian Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security