Virginia Cyber Range director recognized for leadership in cybersecurity

VASCAN is a collaboration of computer and network security professionals and researchers at higher education institutions across the commonwealth. The alliance collaborates regularly to disseminate security techniques and best practices and to share lessons learned in order to improve security programs in their institutions.

The award recognizes special efforts toward strengthening IT security within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Raymond was recognized for his outstanding service and dedication to the VASCAN community.

“Dave was recognized for his important contributions as a cybersecurity practitioner and educator,” said Scott Midkiff, vice president for IT and CIO. “Of particular note, Dave and his team have created the innovative Virginia Cyber Range that, in just two years, is already widely used to support experiential cybersecurity education in high schools, community colleges, and universities throughout Virginia.”

In his role at the IT Security Office, Raymond is involved in efforts to secure the Virginia Tech network and works with graduate and undergraduate students conducting cybersecurity research. He also teaches in the online Master of Information Technology program and serves as faculty advisor to the Cyber Security Club at Virginia Tech.

Raymond oversees the Virginia Cyber Range, a Commonwealth of Virginia initiative with a mission to enhance cybersecurity education in the commonwealth’s public high schools, colleges, and universities. The Virginia Cyber Range provides an extensive courseware repository for educators and a cloud-hosted exercise environment for hands-on cybersecurity training for students.

Under Raymond’s leadership, the Cyber Range’s operations have grown from serving two Virginia universities in spring 2017 to now more than 160 high schools, 16 community colleges, and 13 universities across the state. The Virginia Cyber Range is operated by Virginia Tech and led by an executive committee representing the 12 community colleges and universities within Virginia that are nationally recognized centers of academic excellence in cybersecurity.

“I am humbled and honored by this recognition,” Raymond commented. “It is really a testament to the amazing work accomplished by the whole Virginia Cyber Range team.”

Before joining the university, Raymond served on the United States Military Academy at West Point faculty where he taught the capstone cybersecurity curriculum in the department of electrical engineering and computer science and started the West Point cadet cyber competition team. A retired Army officer, Raymond also served as director of education research in the Army Cyber Institute, an Army-level research and outreach center at West Point.