News Byte: Vancouver Cybersecurity Program Advisory Board Announced

The College of Engineering and Computing Sciences on the Vancouver campus has announced the Cybersecurity Program Advisory Board members for the 2021 – 2023 term.

The board provides guidance to academic departments within the school and promotes a continuing relationship between New York Tech students, faculty, alumni, and industry experts. “The advisory board provides a vital link between the program and the local community, including government, corporate, and academia,” said Tokunbo Makanju, assistant professor of computer science.

During the tenure of the previous advisory board, several initiatives were undertaken to improve the visibility of the program to the Vancouver community and to improve the employment readiness of the program’s graduates. “In the last year, three of the program’s graduates have found employment with Fortinet, a multinational cybersecurity company with a strong presence in Vancouver,” said Makanju.

“I have been impressed with the caliber of teaching and students who graduate from the program,” said Jag Madan, senior director of business information systems at Sierra Wireless and a current board member. “New York Tech’s cybersecurity program provides practical and pragmatic training for students across many cybersecurity domains. The foundational elements covered allow students to make an immediate impact for any employer to reduce their cybersecurity risks.”

Added board member and Chief Technology Officer of Mirai Security and President of Mainland Advanced Research Society Alex Dow, “Businesses are steadily increasing their reliance on cloud and software development as part of their digital transformation journeys. The demand for cybersecurity professionals is increasing across the board and professionals who focus on how to protect data in our future world will be indispensable.”

The goals of the board include:

• Advising and assisting on academic and professional matters
• Providing input on current trends in the industry
• Identifying necessary skills and areas of interest for curriculum development
• Promoting and enhancing the quality of the programs
• Identifying projects and funding sources

Members of the 2021 – 2023 Cybersecurity Program Advisory Board:

• Victor Badejo (M.S. ’17), Senior Associate of Cyber Risk, PwC
• Alex Dow, Chief Technology Officer of Mirai Security and President of Mainland Advanced Research Society
• Lloyd Jura, Director of Information Security, Fraser Health Authority
• Juseop Lim (M.S. ’19), Senior Digital Forensics Examiner, DFI Forensics
• Jag Madan, Senior Director of Business Information Systems, Sierra Wireless
• Deepak Rout, Executive Security Advisor, Microsoft Inc.
• David Royer, Director of Enterprise Risk and Compliance, Best Buy Canada
• Nur ZIncir-Heywood, Professor, Dalhousie University
• Lachlan Turner, Director Consulting, Lightship Security Inc.