By Elisa Basnight
Grateful and still inspired from my time spent last Thursday with volunteers and leaders from Girls Action Network (GAN) and The Links, Incorporated at the Cybersecurity Competition for middle and high school students hosted by Patriots Technology Training Center at Bowie State University.
With only 16% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) being women and continued predictions of shortages in the cybersecurity workforce, the GAN Exhibit and competition questions for the students were carefully crafted to raise awareness about the imperative need to increase the representation of women in the cybersecurity ecosystem.
Further and personally, as a former intelligence officer, and presently a supply chain leader and corporate board director for a state hospital system, which in both cases, I’ve experienced the impact of significant cyber-attacks on business operations and customer experience, I challenge us all with a Call to Action that we must invest in our early talent to create the workforce pipelines for these technical occupations in the 3S workforce.
During the event, the GAN team emphasized to the students that GAN believes in and champions their workforce success, as further demonstrated in GAN’s print and video materials. In the realm of cybersecurity, GAN firmly believes that “A diversified threat requires a diversified defense.”
GAN was thrilled to witness the students’ exposure to over 20 different businesses, governmental agencies, and organizations dedicated to raising awareness about opportunities in the cybersecurity workforce. GAN’s mission is to help girls, with a particular focus on those from underrepresented communities, to participate in and lead within the 3S Workforce: STEM, Supply Chain, and the Skilled Trades.
Heartfelt thanks to Patriots and Bowie State for graciously hosting the event! Collaboration and partnership serve as a winning solution for cultivating pathways and pipelines for early talent in our future 3S workforce.