CYBER.ORG, in partnership with CISA, is helping create a diverse cyber workforce by breaking down the barriers to cybersecurity education by improving access for all K-12 students nationwide. CYBER.ORG’s HBCU feeder program Project REACH was recently highlighted in CISA’s 2022 Year in Review as part of the agency’s commitment to improving diversity and accessibility in the field.
Laurie Salvail, Director of CYBER.ORG, joins BSW to discuss: - Why the expansion of K-12 cybersecurity education is the first step toward building a diverse talent pipeline. - How CYBER.ORG has implemented initiatives to drive diversity in cybersecurity including: - Project REACH, the HBCU feeder program launched across the country to build the next-gen workforce, and its plans to expand kickoff events in 2023. - Project Access, a program for the blind and visually impaired who are in pre-employment transition (Pre-ETS), and the summer camps on the horizon. - CYBER.ORG’s plans to expand diversity and inclusion efforts in the coming year to Hispanic-serving institutions.
Segment Resources: To learn more about CYBER.ORG or to get involved, visit: https://www.cyber.org
As the Executive Director of CYBER.ORG, Dr. Laurie Salvail, has led over 100 presentations and workshops in person and virtually across the US from 2019 to 2025 and has been quoted in over 25 publications from 2022-2025. She has worked on projects with the University of Texas Austin, Palo Alto Networks, Common Sense Media, Women in Cybersecurity, and Girl Scouts of the USA just to name a few. She currently serves on the TeachAI Advisory Committee, Raices Cyber National Education Advisory Board, Louisiana Department of Education’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force, and the Louisiana Department of Education Computer Science K12 Standards Writing Committee. She was named one of the Top Women in Cybersecurity Americas 2003. As she leads the CYBER.ORG team, Dr. Salvail is looking forward to the continued impact she will have on education across the nation.
