Major General John H. Phillips
Military Deputy, US Army DCS G-6 &
Director, Program Resource Integration HQDA-G6
Education: Major General Phillips, a native of York, Pennsylvania, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps following graduation from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1990. He also holds a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Spending the first 10-1/2 years on active duty, he served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer, in the 51st Signal Battalion (Airborne); Platoon Leader, F/51st Infantry Regiment (Long Range Surveillance); and S-6, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division all while at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He then served as S-6 and HHC Commander, 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Hanau, Germany and Executive Officer, Georgia Institute of Technology Reserve Officer Training Corps in Atlanta. In 2001, he entered the Army Reserve and performed his first reserve duty just three weeks before 9/11. His key staff assignments include G-3 Operations, 108th Training Command; G-3 ARFORGEN, United States Forces Command; G-6, United States Army Central; and G-6/Chief Information Officer, United States Army Europe.
He has deployed in support of OPERATIONs JOINT FORGE as S-6, 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1997-1998); IRAQI FREEDOM as S-6, 172nd Corps Support Group (2004) and Commander, 324th Signal Battalion (2006-2007); ENDURING FREEDOM as S-3, 359th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade and Director, Joint NETOPS Control Center-Afghanistan (2010-2011); FREEDOMS SENTINEL as Deputy Commander, 335th Signal Command (Theater) (Provisional), (2015-2016); and INHERENT RESOLVE & SPARTAN SHIELD as the Commanding General, 335th Signal Command (Theater) (Provisional), (2017-2018). His additional command time includes Commander, 2nd Brigade, 100th Division (Sacramento, California) and Rear-Detachment Commander, 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command (Wichita, Kansas). Most recently, he was the Commanding General, 335th Signal Command (Theater) in East Point, Georgia, with subordinate organizations spanning 19 states.
Major General Phillips’ military schooling includes the Signal Officer Basic Course, U.S. Marine Corps’ Command and Control Systems Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College, and Advanced Joint Professional Military Education. He has been decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal (x2), Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (x4), Meritorious Service Medal (x6) and numerous other individual, service and campaign medals. He has earned the Combat Action Badge, Ranger Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Royal Australian Parachutist Badge.
He resides in Laurinburg, North Carolina and has been married to his wife Sherrie, a physical therapist, for 29 years. They have two sons, Stone (26), an Electrical Engineer for Honeywell Aerospace in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Ryan (22), a Systems (Electrical and Computer) Engineer for Textron Systems in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Both sons are Eagle Scouts.
Mr. Neal Ziring
Technical Director for the National Security Agency (NSA)’s Cybersecurity Directorate
Mr. Neal Ziring is the Technical Director for the National Security Agency (NSA)’s Cybersecurity Directorate. In that role, he is responsible for a wide variety of technical assessment, external engagement, workforce developments, and strategic direction issues for NSA’s cybersecurity mission. In his past position, he served as the Technical Director of the NSA Capabilities Directorate. In that role, he tracked technical initiatives, promoted the professional health of a diverse technical staff, and served as liaison to various external partners. Prior to the formation of the Capabilities Directorate, Mr. Ziring served as Technical Director of the Information Assurance Directorate for five years.
His personal expertise areas include security automation, IPv6, cloud computing, cross-domain information exchange, data access control, and cyber defense.
Prior to coming to NSA in 1988, Neal worked at AT&T Bell Labs. He has BS degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and an MS degree in Computer Science, all from Washington University in St. Louis. Since then, he has also taken classes from Columbia University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and George Washington University.
Mr. Matthew Isnor
Department of Defense, Office of the Chief Information Officer
Chief, DoD Cyberspace Workforce Development
Mr. Isnor an expert in the federal cyber workforce with DoD/CIO, and the former Cyber Mission Force (CMF) Program Lead for Training for U.S. Cyber Command. He currently leads the development and refinement of standardizing the Cyberspace workforce through work roles included in the DoD Cyberspace Workforce Framework (DCWF). He is also responsible for leading the effort in DoD CIO to create the 8140 Policy Series which sets the qualification program for all of DoD. Another area is that he is one of the co-chairs with NSA and USCYBERCOM to lead the development of Cyber Institutes as each of the Senior Military Colleges (SMC). Mr. Isnor holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with concentration in Information Systems from Hawaii Pacific University and is currently working toward a Master’s of Cyber Security from Webster University.
Mr. Salvatore Richard Scalco
Naval Information Warfare Center – Atlantic
Senior Cyber Engineer, U.S. NAVY
Current Position: Based out of Charleston, South Carolina,Mr. Scalco serves as a Senior Cyber Engineer and the More Situational Awareness for Industrial Control Systems (MOSAICS) Technical Manager. In this role, Mr. Scalco is leading a National level technical team to develop solutions to secure our Nations Critical Infrastructure.
Education: Mr. Scalco graduated from Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering Baltimore, Maryland, in 1985 with a Masters of Science in Technical Management. He also holds an additional Masters degree awarded in 1999 from the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C. with a major in National Resource Strategy and a minor in Information Strategies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Capital College, Laurel, Maryland 1982 and an Associate in Arts degree in Engineering Technology with Phi Beta Honors from Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland 1974. Mr. Scalco is a professionalized Cryptologic Engineer and is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certified Acquisition Level III. Mr. Scalco also attended the Federal Executive Institute, Leadership for a Democratic Society Program, Charlottesville, VA and National Security Agency (NSA) Senior Development Program.
Prior Positions: Mr. Scalco served as the Deputy Chief of the National Security Agency (NSA) Information Assurance Directorate (IAD) Engineering Office. The Engineering Office developed, evolved and managed information assurance engineering solutions required for an assured National Security information technology enterprise. Prior to this position he served.as DOD’s Director of the Global Information Grid Information Assurance Portfolio Office (GIAP) where he oversaw the DOD’s Information Assurance budget of over $3 billion annually. In July 2001, Mr. Scalco was accepted into the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (DISES) and served until departing NSA in 2015. Mr. Scalco has over forty-five year’s government service including five years with the United States Census Bureau, Suitland, Maryland prior to coming to DoD. Mr. Scalco has served as a project engineer, program manager, branch chief, division chief, office chief and special assistant in multiple NSA/DOD directorates.
Ms. Ashley Greeley
National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C)
Ms. Ashley Greeley serves within the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity
(NCAE-C) Program Office at the National Cryptologic University, housed at the National
Security Agency (NSA). Prior to joining the NSA in 2018, Ms. Greeley spent 16 years teaching
social studies and coaching basketball at the high school level. Her passion continues to be
creating, exposing, and communicating cybersecurity opportunities to teachers, students, and
other professionals so that they can achieve their goals. Her background teaching US history,
sociology, and US government aligns with her interest in the humanistic and policy aspects of
cybersecurity. Her previous and current roles at the NSA include serving as a cybersecurity
instructor, leading the GenCyber program, and working with the NCAE-C program.
Ms. Greeley was born and raised in West Lafayette, IN and is a proud graduate of Purdue University; holding both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University. Her hobbies include traveling with her husband, spending time with family, being outside, attending Purdue sporting events, and reading books.
Mr. Hank Osborne
Senior Scientific Technical Manager (SSTM)
Cybersecurity, Test & Evaluation
Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic
Hank Osborne has led a workforce of approximately 700 US Navy civilians focused on Cybersecurity and Test & Evaluation (T&E) at NIWC Atlantic since March 2020. He is responsible for providing security engineering guidance for the development, test and evaluation, acquisition and deployment of integrated C4ISR, Space and Cyber systems that equip our nation’s warfighters. His primary goal is to build and lead the best qualified Cybersecurity workforce in the Navy ensuring processes, solutions, and technologies employed by NIWC Atlantic are secure, resilient, efficient, and effective.
Hank previously served for seven years as the NIWC Atlantic Lead Systems Engineer for Cybersecurity overseeing engineering and operations efforts related Enterprise Network Defense, Incident Response, Software Development, Penetration Testing, Red Teaming, Cross-Domain Solutions, Cybersecurity Policy and Risk Management, Vulnerability Assessment, and Identity Management. Hank has developed and implemented Cybersecurity policies and guidance for two decades and has appeared before United States House of Representatives and United States Senate subcommittees as a subject matter expert on Cybersecurity. He has extensive experience in secure network design, installation, and administration. His security roots trace back to his military service as an electro-mechanics technician maintaining launch-critical equipment on Minuteman and Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) weapon systems for the US Air Force.
Hank developed an Internet-based academy in 2014 to teach high school and middle school students how to defend networks, applications, and operating systems against cyber threats and ultimately encourage these students to join our nation’s cyber workforce. Hank serves as a coach and technical mentor for the Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition (PCDC) and US CyberPatriot – The National Youth Cyber Education Program. Hank’s hands on volunteer efforts produce some of the most competitive high school cyber competition teams in the state of South Carolina.
Hank obtained a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with honors. Hank has obtained the GIAC Security Leadership Certification (GSLC) and Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP) certification. He holds Defense Acquisition University certifications in Information Technology and Engineering.
Chief Warrant Officer 2
Yolanda E. Surrency
Engagements Officer, Talent Management, U.S. Army Cyber Command
Chief Surrency enlisted into the United States Army Reserves in August 1990 as a 94B Food Service Specialist and served 12 years. She joined the Georgia Army National Guard in October 2016. She received her commission in July 2018 through the Warrant Officer Candidate School at Warrant Officer Career College, Fort Rucker, Alabama and reclassified as a 255A Signal Warrant Officer.
Chief Surrency has served as a Sustainment Automation Support Management Office (SASMO) Officer for the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and a G6 Technical Warrant Officer for U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER). Chief Surrency is currently the Engagements Officer for the ARCYBER Talent Management Directorate, focusing on education and outreach efforts.
Chief Surrency earned her Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies from Georgia Southern University. She also has a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, a Master of Education in Instructional Technology from Georgia College, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Thomas Edison State College.
Her civilian professional background includes serving as a technology curriculum specialist for Fort Valley State University’s Cooperative Extension Program, an adjunct instructor for Fort Valley State University’s Department of Business and Economics, and an adjunct instructor for Central Georgia Technical College’s Business Administrative Technology Department. Chief Surrency has three adult children and two grandchildren. She resides in Augusta, Georgia.
Shankar M. Banik, Ph.D.
Head of Department of Cyber and Computer Sciences,
Co-director for Center for Cyber, Intelligence and Security Studies
The Citadel
Shankar Banik is a Professor and Head of Department of Cyber and Computer Sciences, and Co-director
for Center for Cyber, Intelligence and Security Studies at The Citadel. He received B.Tech. (Hons.) degree
in Computer science and Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, in 1997 and
M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from University of Oklahoma in 2001 and 2006, respectively.
Dr. Banik has been leading cybersecurity education and research programs at The Citadel since 2010. He
was instrumental in designing the minor in Cybersecurity and major in Cyber Operations for
undergraduate program at The Citadel and Cybersecurity specialization for M.S. in Computer Science, and
graduate certificate program in Cybersecurity for the joint graduate program offered by The Citadel and
College of Charleston. He has designed and taught cybersecurity courses for introductory and advanced
levels both for undergraduate and graduate programs. Under Dr. Banik’s leadership, The Citadel received
the designation of National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) from
National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He is the Program Director
for NSA/DHS CAE-CDE program at The Citadel. He is the Principal Investigator for Department of Defense
Cybersecurity Scholarship Program at The Citadel and National Science Foundation CyberCorps®
Scholarship for Service Program at The Citadel. He is also the Director of Citadel Department of Defense
Cyber Institute.
Dr. Banik’s research interests include network security, privacy ranking, multicast protocols, overlay networks, and cybersecurity education. He has published numerous research papers on computer networks and security in journals and conference proceedings. He has served as a research mentor for undergraduate and graduate students in several research projects in computer science and cybersecurity which has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications. He is the student advisor for The Citadel ACM Club and The Citadel Cybersecurity Club. He was the Principal Investigator for the GenCyber Grants 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 awarded by National Security Agency and National Science Foundation for organizing summer workshops on cybersecurity at The Citadel for Middle/High School Teachers and
Students.
Dr. Banik received The Citadel Graduate College Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions in 2014, Award of Recognition from The Citadel Board of Visitors in 2016, Early Career Award from Citadel Academy of Science and Mathematics in 2017, Citadel Faculty Excellence Award in Service in 2017, and Award of Recognition from The Citadel Board of Visitors in 2020.
Michael P. Verdicchio, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science,
Graduate Program Director of Computer Science
The Citadel
Dr. Michael Verdicchio is an Associate Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, which he joined in 2011. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and a B.S.E. in Computer Systems Engineering from Arizona State University, in Tempe Arizona. Michael teaches computer science students at all levels, from first-semester freshmen to working professionals in the evening graduate program. His current research interests cross cybersecurity education, algorithms, and software engineering. His previous research projects have also been in the area of computational biology and bioinformatics. Michael serves the college and department in various roles, including as the faculty academic advisor to Charlie Company in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Michael is a Professional Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Deepti Joshi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science
The Citadel
Dr. Deepti Joshi is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. Dr. Joshi teaches introductory programming courses, database courses, as well as advanced topics such as data mining and data warehousing. Dr. Joshi actively engages in undergraduate research and has supervised several students on topics such as big data analysis, text mining, building social unrest vocabulary through text and images using data-driven approaches, twitter data analysis for social sensing, etc. Dr. Joshi actively collaborates with colleagues from Cyber and Computer Science department, School of Engineering and School of Education at The Citadel. Dr. Joshi has been awarded several internal and external grants from NSF and DOD. Most notably, she was awarded the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Academic Research Program (NARP) NURI grant. As a part of this, she is leading a team of computer and social scientists (from The Citadel and University of Nebraska-Lincoln), and graduate and undergraduate students to conduct research with news media sources, social media sources, and other national level statistics-based datasets to develop algorithms and a system to anticipate social unrest within a geographic context.
William A. Johnson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The Citadel
Dr. William A. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Cyber and Computer Sciences Department at the Citadel, as well as the Deputy Director of Academic Engagement under the Citadel Department of Defense Cyber Institute (CDCI). As an assistant professor, Dr. Johnson designs and teaches classes on computer organization and architecture, reverse engineering, and malware analysis. He serves as the faculty advisor for the Citadel’s cyber security club T215. In his role as Deputy Director of Academic Engagement, Dr. Johnson helps plan cyber security awareness events, organizes opportunities for cadets to attend top conferences in the computing and cyber security field, and sends cadets to compete in cyber security competitions. Dr. Johnson received his BS degree in computer engineering in 2018 from Tennessee Tech University. He received his MS degree in Computer Science from the same university in 2021. He joined Tennessee Tech’s fast-track program for a PhD after just one year as an MS student. He graduated with his PhD in May of 2022. Dr. Johnson’s research interests include ethical hacking, malware analysis and detection, emerging network cryptography, and computer architecture. Dr. Johnson is currently engaged in research mentorships with both undergraduate and graduate students at the Citadel.