ExecutiveBiz ExecutiveBiz covers emerging companies in Washington's government contracting sector. 
Cyber enthusiasts should dust off their black ties for the University of Maryland University College’s gala event An Evening in Cyberspace, which promises to bring together government and private-sector leaders with cyber scholars and researchers.
The black-tie event will toast the the university’s new cybersecurity programs and provide opportunities to fund scholarships for students entering these programs.
UMUC has become a leader in cybersecurity education in the Washington, D.C, area. The university offers two master’s degrees, a bachelor’s degree, and three graduate certificates in cybersecurity and currently enrolls more than 2,000 students.
UMUC’s cybersecurity program caters to a working student population — 90 percent of its students work full time, many in mid-management and often with security clearances.
The cyber program boasts more than 100 adjunct professors, many of whom hold full-time positions in the cybersecurity field. The curriculum, itself, was designed by a panel of industry leaders led retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege, who is now chair of the Deloitte Center for Cyber Innovation.
Other cyber experts who have helped develop the curriculum by providing insight and expertise include: retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Campbell of Iridium Communications; retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Betsy Hight, director of U.S. Defense Command and Control Infrastructure Practice, HP Enterprise Services; Mike McConnell, EVP, National Security Business, Booz Allen Hamilton; James F. X. Payne, SVP and general manager, National Security and Cyber Infrastructure, Telcordia Technologies, Inc.; and Bill Varner, president and COO of ManTech’s Mission, Cyber and Technology Solutions Group.
The gala will be held April 2 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. The keynote speaker will be retired Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former director of CIA and NSA.
For more information about, visit the event’s website.
