Tarenia Carthan
I got into cybersecurity through…a deep desire to continue my life’s work of public service on a new, digital frontier. After years of serving as an elected official and navigating the complexities of healthcare administration, I realized that the front lines of community protection had shifted. Protecting people now means protecting their data, their identities, […]
Nicole Bucala
I got into cybersecurity by…following problems that truly mattered to me. Early in my career, I worked in highly technical, high-stakes environments—including counterterrorism operations for the U.S. government—where I saw firsthand how critical digital systems had become to national security, business operations, and everyday life. What drew me in wasn’t just the technology, but the […]
Susan Bernstein
I got into cybersecurity through…when I moved to DC in late 2024, the tech landscape was really different than Silicon Valley, where I’d run an executive coaching practice for two decades. I found Uniting Women in Cyber, asked Debbie Sallis if I should attend, and I was absolutely riveted! Looking at the cyber workforce through […]
Toni Benson
I got into cyber by…wanting to serve my country. In my early career, I was an Air Force communications officer, which shaped how I think about mission, discipline, and accountability. As a federal civilian, I focused on shaping policy, the protection of critical infrastructure, and bridging the communication lanes between the federal government and private […]
Vandana Padmanabhan
𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 by…writing tools to look for data leaks as part of privacy and security internal audits and later spearheading and leading privacy engineering programs for devices and services. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲, 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀…keeping an open mind to new experiences and continuous learning. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 experience 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 […]
Lara Meadows
𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵…my first job out of college was working for a government contractor, where we were helping the IRS to move their filings online. I worked for a great manager who left our team to start a new project in cybersecurity. He invited several of us to join him, saying this cyber […]
Oana Nedelcu
𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵…technology has always been my passion. I didn’t pivot into cybersecurity — I evolved into it. After years living and breathing tech and sales at the enterprise level, I saw the intersection of security, data and now AI becoming the most consequential battleground in business. I didn’t want to watch that […]
Michaela Iorga
A Life in a Thousand Words: The Journey of a Butterfly I often think about where someone’s professional journey truly begins. Does it start with the first breath of air, or with the first step into a classroom? I believe it begins as a small fire – one that slowly ignites and grows stronger over […]
Laura Sawka
𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵…by accident. I started off my career at a Big 4 accounting firm, thinking I would be delivering business process consulting. However, I found myself on federal IT audits and advisory engagements. As someone with a degree in Finance and Operations Management, conducting audits of server rooms, systems, and access lists […]
John DeSimone
I got into cybersecurity through…the ground floor of application development and systems integration. Right out of college, I started my own software company building voice-activated medical record systems. In those days, “Cybersecurity” as we know it today didn’t really exist; we focused on security and access controls. My transition into the large systems environment happened […]