(Aug. 13, 2018) — Six leaders from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will speak about emerging trends and workforce development in national security at the annual CyberTexas conference, scheduled from Aug. 14-15 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. UTSA is recognized by the Ponemon Institute of home of the nation’s leading academic and research programs in cybersecurity.
The annual CyberTexas conference, which draws 700 attendees annually, strengthens the cybersecurity ecosystems in San Antonio and across Texas by facilitating dialogue related to communication, education, innovation and workforce development between cybersecurity experts and leaders in government, industry and academia. The program is sponsored by the CyberTexas Foundation and the Federal Business Council in conjunction with Cyber USA.
UTSA President Taylor Eighmy will present a keynote address titled “UTSA Cyber Leadership: Building Partnerships to Meet Global Security Challenges.” In his remarks, Eighmy will share how UTSA strategically built the nation’s top academic and research program in cybersecurity. He will also discuss the university’s national security portfolio and plans for a new National Security Collaboration Center to further advance San Antonio’s robust security ecosystem.
Eric Bachura, a UTSA doctoral candidate in the Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security, joins the conference to introduce Robert W. Heller (Southwest Research Institute). Heller will discuss his research on cybersecurity and connected roadway vehicles. In a second panel, Bachura will introduce Deborah Carter (Rackspace University and Open Cloud Academy) for a discussion about up-skilling veterans for cybersecurity careers.
Cybersecurity expert Nicole Beebe, a UTSA professor who was named in 2018 as one of Texas Monthly’s 15 Innovators Reshaping Texas, will moderate a panel about the cyber defense toolbox. Panelists Jacek Materna (Assembla), Chris Gerritz (Infocyte) and David Heard (SecureLogix Corp) will discuss new tools and technologies available to help defend critical infrastructure.
On the second day of the conference, Greg White, director of the UTSA Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, and a 2016 San Antonio Cyber Hall of Honor Inductee, will moderate a discussion about how government and industry can work together to harden U.S. critical infrastructure against future attacks. Panelists will include Patrick Robinson (AT&T Global Public Sector), Michael Stewart (USAA), Michael Kampstra (San Antonio Water System) and John Heintz (CPS Energy).
“CyberTexas is a tremendous opportunity for UTSA and other partners across the state to contribute to ongoing policy discussions about our nation’s national security,” said Bernard Arulanandam, UTSA interim vice president for Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise. “By bringing government, industry and education leaders together on a regular basis to develop strategies to achieve mutual goals, we will continue to advance Texas as a trailblazer in cybersecurity education and research, policy, and workforce development.”
