Today, CYBER.ORG—the academic initiative of the Cyber Innovation Center—announced the launch of its Industry Advisory Board (IAB) and appointed inaugural members from CompTIA, HiTech, Lion Tide Solutions, Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy and TrendAI.

The Industry Advisory Board will provide CYBER.ORG with insight into emerging cybersecurity and technology trends, workforce needs and industry developments that can inform K-12 cybersecurity and AI education.

“The cybersecurity workforce is evolving rapidly, and education must evolve with it,” said Charlene Cooper, director of CYBER.ORG. “By bringing industry leaders directly into the conversation, the Industry Advisory Board will help us understand the skills employers need today and anticipate what students will need tomorrow.”

The IAB’s five inaugural members are Travis Wilde, academic account director at CompTIA; Richard Raue, CEO of HiTech; Kevin Smith, COO and vice president of Lion Tide Solutions; Mary Ann Byrnes, director of the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy and Luz Angeles, senior solutions engineer at TrendAI. Together, the members bring experience in cybersecurity operations, workforce development, technology education, AI and emerging technologies.

“I look forward to supporting educators, expanding access to cyber education, helping students develop the skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce, as well as ensuring public and private sector industries have the highest quality cyber professionals for years to come,” said Kevin Smith, COO and vice president of Lion Tide Solutions.

CYBER.ORG provides resources to K-12 educators across all 50 states, helping schools introduce students to cybersecurity and AI concepts and career pathways. The new IAB will add direct industry perspective to that work as cybersecurity roles continue to evolve alongside technologies such as AI.

“CYBER.ORG’s mission of ensuring readiness for our future workforce has never been so critical as we continue to wade through the uncertain waters of AI’s impact on cybersecurity,” said Luz Angeles, senior solutions engineer at TrendAI. “It’s important to understand how roles within cybersecurity will continue to evolve and how skill sets should be adapted as AI helps close the cybersecurity skills gap.”

“The demand for cybersecurity talent continues to outpace supply, and addressing that challenge requires building awareness and skills at every stage of the talent pipeline,” said Travis Wilde, academic account director at CompTIA. “CYBER.ORG’s Industry Advisory Board creates an important forum for sharing industry insights that can help students develop the technical and professional skills needed for future success. CompTIA is honored to support this work.“

If you’re an industry representative interested in joining the board, please contact info@cyber.org to learn more.

About CYBER.ORG

CYBER.ORG, the academic and workforce initiative of the Cyber Innovation Center, is dedicated to advancing cybersecurity education and workforce development across K–12 and higher education. Supported in part by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), CYBER.ORG provides curriculum written to industry certification objectives, professional development, and hands-on resources to teach cybersecurity education to K-12 students nationwide. With content used in over 10,000 schools in all 50 states by over 48,000 educators, CYBER.ORG empowers students with real-world skills and career-connected learning pathways. By 2029, CYBER.ORG aims to support over 50,000 educators and impact six million students, helping shape a future-ready cybersecurity workforce. For more information, please visit http://www.cyber.org.

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