The 2022 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference Conference has a robust Planning Committee consisting of constituents from Industry, Education, Non-Profit and Government organizations.

**Oscar Aliaga** - Associate Professor at University of South Florida (Florida)

Oscar A. Aliaga, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Career and Workforce Education program at the College of Education, University of South Florida. His work focuses on high school Career and Technical Education programs, including Cybersecurity. Prior to this position, he was the Career Pathways Coordinator for the Agency of Education in Vermont, where his role included the creation of a career pathway in cybersecurity that started in the Fall of 2020. He has been a Program Director and Research Associate with the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, both at the University of Louisville and the University of Minnesota. He is the author of different publications.

**Cori Araza -**
Senior Project Director, K-12 STEM Outreach (Arizona)

After spending four years in software development, Cori Araza taught in the public school setting for 17 years in Computer Information Systems, Spanish, and ESL at the secondary and community college levels. She currently serves as the Senior Project Director for K-12 STEM Outreach, where she conducts workshops in STEM and Project-Based Learning in the areas of Cybersecurity, Engineering, Computer Science, and Bioscience.

**Susana Barraza** - Program Manager at National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (Washington D.C.)

Susana Barraza is Program Manager for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Prior to NICE, she served as the Student Personnel Assistant for the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) STEM Equity and Success Initiative (SESI) Project at Sacramento City College. A program that seeks to increase the enrollment and success of Latina/o and economically disadvantaged students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in their transition from high school to college and ultimately degree completion, transfer, and career opportunity.

**Brian Crouse** - Vice President of Education at Missouri Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Missouri)

Mr. Crouse is responsible for developing education policy, programs and initiatives that bridge the gap between the business and education communities. He is directly responsible for a portfolio of education/workforce development programs that include- Mo Intern and Apprentice Connect portals, Show-Me Careers, the Missouri Mathematics and Science Coalition, and other initiatives.

**Melissa Dark -** Founder at Dark Enterprises Inc. (Indiana)

Melissa has worked in cybersecurity education for 22 years where she has been fortunate to lead a number of creative and impactful projects ranging from studying the effect of various representational forms on cryptography learning and neural connections to developing cybersecurity concepts lessons for integration into the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles high school course. From 2000-2015 her work was at the collegiate level. In 2015, she founded DARK Enterprises, Inc., a non-profit focused on developing, supporting, and stewarding cybersecurity education at the secondary school level.

Lemi-Ola Erinkitola - The Critical Thinking Child LLC (Illinois

Lemi-Ola Erinkitola is an award-winning educator and author of children's books, notably the Cyber City Book Series, which teaches preschool and early elementary students about cybersecurity using animated cartoon characters and rhyming words. Erinkitola is the founder of The Critical Thinking Child LLC, a boutique tutoring and virtual learning company for schools and parents who are looking to support children in navigating academic success in our modern era of technology. Holding a Master's degree from Rush University in Chicago, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois, and specialized training in critical thinking from the University of Edinburgh, she is also the proud mother of three gifted children.

**Amanda Fitzgerald** - Assistant Deputy Executive Director at American School Counselor Association (Virginia)

Amanda Fitzgerald serves as Assistant Deputy Executive Director at the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). She has worked at the association since 2003 in various positions and handles federal policy issues for the organization and serves as a liaison to the US Congress, US Department of Education and other federal agencies.

**Ashley Greeley** - K12 Project Lead at National Security Agency (Indiana)

Ashley Greeley is the K-12 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, STARTALK, and secondary NCAE-C pathway programs.

**Janet Hartkopf -** Cyber Program Director at Chandler Unified School District (Arizona)

Janet Hartkopf left the corporate world 14 years ago to begin a career in education. She taught cybersecurity at the high school for two years before becoming the Cyber Program Director at Basha High School. Her passion is to see education and industry partner together building the cybersecurity pipeline, by forming partnerships, thinking out of the box, and applying techniques to reach all students.

**Amber Lindsay -**
President and CEO at iKeepSafe

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.
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.

**Mark Loepker -** Director of Education at National Cryptologic Museum Foundation (Maryland)

Mark S. Loepker is a master practitioner in Information Assurance (IA) and International Partnerships with over 39 years of government experience; 21 years AF Officer – 18 years NSA Civilian. Mr. Loepker serves as the Education Program Director to the National Cryptologic Foundation, focused on developing educational programs to be delivered from the Cyber Center for Education & Innovation (CCEI). In this role, he focuses on ensuring that K-12/STEM initiatives are tightly aligned with national cyber curriculum standards, and that the CCEI becomes a national resource addressing workforce development and operational training requirements.

**Jessica Lueman -** CEO at Cyber Spartans’ Workshop, LLC (Maryland)

Jessica is passionate about introducing Cybersecurity opportunities to our communities, both young and old. She is the Founder and CEO of Cyber Spartans’ Workshop, LLC, a place where boys and girls from grades 3 through 10 can go to learn and have fun while being exposed to new technologies and skills associated with the IT world. From Cyber Security to building Video Games, Spartans get to have fun while learning skills that will benefit them for years to come.

**Ed Mondragon** - CTE Coordinator: CSIT at Granite School District CTE Department (Utah)

Ed Mondragon is a 32-year veteran business/computer science educator serving as the Computer Science & Information Technology curriculum specialist for the CTE Department in Granite School District (Salt Lake City). Ed considers himself an edupreneur with a passion for computer science, physical computing, cybersecurity, and 21st century skill development for students within the IT career pathways.

**Lisa Oyler** - Instructor at Summit Technology Academy (Missouri)

I previously taught at Summit Technology Academy for 20 years, as well as since 2001 at MCC as an adjunct. I started out teaching the Cisco Academy courses and then later added the information technology, networking, security and linux courses. I am currently CompTIA A+, Inet+, Net+, Sec+, and Cloud Essentials+ certified. I also have the Cisco CCNA, CCNA Security, and Cyber Ops Associate Certifications, as well as LPI Linux Essentials.

**Davina Pruitt-Mentle -**
Lead for Academic Engagement at NICE (Washington D.C.)

Dr. Davina Pruitt-Mentle serves as Lead for Academic Engagement of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) 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). She has spent the past 20 years conducting research on student and educator cyberawareness, and developing programs to help increase the 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.

**John Quinn -**
Teacher at Chicago Public Schools (Illinois)

I am a certified CISCO Networking Instructor with an emphasis on Cyber Security. I teach with the Chicago Public Schools. I am excited to be a part of the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education planning committee.

**Felicia Rateliff -**
Director of Operations and Programs at iKeepSafe (Missouri)

As part of iKeepSafe, the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference host organization, Felicia Rateliff is currently in her sixth year serving as the Conference’s chief organizer. Felicia has an extensive background in project management, marketing, design, technology and education. Prior to working with iKeepSafe she served as US Marketing Director for an education technology company and a Senior Marketing Director for a PR company focused on space technology representing NASA. Before entering the corporate and non-profit worlds, she served as an 11-12th grade CTE teacher of graphic design, illustration, printing, and sign-making for 8 years. Felicia earned her MS in Organizational Leadership and MBA in Marketing from Colorado Technical University. She is a huge proponent of Career and Technical Education, and a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor. She resides in Central Missouri where she is a proud wife, mother of four, grandmother (“Mimi”) of four, and dog-momma of two Shih-Tzus affectionately nicknamed “The Stuffin’ Heads.

**David Raymond** - Director at Virginia Cyber Range / Virginia Tech (Virginia)

Dr. David Raymond is Director of the Virginia Cyber Range, a state-wide resource that provides infrastructure and courseware for hands-on cybersecurity education in Virginia high schools and colleges. He is also Director of the U.S. Cyber Range, providing similar services nation-wide. David teaches cybersecurity classes in Virginia Tech’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

**Kristi Rice** - Cybersecurity Teacher at Spotsylvania High School (Virginia)

Kristi Rice is a Cybersecurity teacher at Spotsylvania High School. She is extremely passionate about teaching cybersecurity to her students and collaborating with educators. She also enjoys assisting new cybersecurity teachers find resources to help with their first year. Kristi has worked with many other school divisions in Virginia to start up their cybersecurity programs. Kristi is a winner of the 2021 Presidential Cybersecurity Educator of the Year Award.

**Tamara Shoemaker -** Director, Center for Cyber Sec & Intel Studies at University of Detroit Mercy (Michigan)

Tamara Shoemaker serves as the director of the University of Detroit Mercy's Center for Cyber Security & Intelligence Studies (CCSIS). Her primary mission is to address the critical shortage of specifically educated and trained Cyber Security professionals. She has developed a statewide CyberPatriot program, providing teacher support, training, summer camps, digital badging and a yearly “Hometown Hero” celebration for state level champions.

**Deanne Wesley** - Director Cybersecurity at
Central University (North Carolina)

Dr. Deanne Cranford-Wesley is the Director of the Cybersecurity at North Carolina Central University (NCCU); there she continues to oversee initiatives with the cybersecurity ecosystem, internal and external partners and in the innovative cybersecurity lab at NCCU. She is the former Associate Dean of the Davis iTEC/Cyber Security Center at Forsyth Technical Community College where she directed the Center of Academic Excellence program designated by the National Security Agency. Dr. Cranford- Wesley is currently a member of the Executive Board for the NC TECH Association as well as member of the Executive Board for the Colloquium of Information System Security.

Amber Williamson - Cybersecurity Teacher at Atlanta Public Schools (Georgia)

Amber C. Williamson is a cybersecurity teacher and doctoral student focusing on cybersecurity education in secondary education and historically black colleges and universities. She has over 20+ years of industry experience and feels the need to disrupt the cybersecurity workforce by introducing cybersecurity in K12.

**Donna Woods** - Cyber Academic Pathway Instructor at Moreno Valley Unified School District (CA)

Donna is thoroughly dedicated to 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. Distinguished honors include: Riverside County Teacher of the Year; Model of Academic Excellence & Innovation; State Assembly 61st District Women of Distinction; and the 2020 Inaugural Presidential Cybersecurity Educator of the Year.

If you are interested in serving on the 2022 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference Planning Committee please email us:

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CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE