Las Vegas, Nevada

August 9, 2024

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good afternoon. Thank you, Dr. Kibler, for the introduction and for inviting me to campus today. You and your staff’s leadership are truly inspiring.

To students, faculty, and other partners, it’s a pleasure to spend time with you today. I’ve enjoyed meeting so many of you here at the College of Southern Nevada.

I’ve particularly enjoyed meeting with the students this morning – from the high school, community college, and university levels. I am more encouraged about our future after meeting each of you.

As Dr. Kibler alluded to, there are many partners here worth thanking. I want to say that I’m pleased to be joined by those present who are here on behalf of our governmental partners here in Las Vegas.

I’m in Las Vegas this particular week to attend DEF CON – the world’s largest hacker conference. Many thousands of people come from all over the world to share ideas, present innovations, and network with each other on all things cyber.

But I was eager to get away from the Strip and come see the great work you all have been doing at CSN.

In my almost eight months as National Cyber Director, I’ve been traveling across the country to see firsthand, and spotlight, the best practices that are building the Nation’s cybersecurity workforce.

Last month, I was in Reno learning about an important program funded by the National Science Foundation that trains middle and high school teachers to bring cybersecurity into their curriculums earlier – exciting students even earlier. There is some really great work in Nevada.

So I was eager to understand what’s working so well here in Las Vegas. Specifically, how CSN, UNLV and your partners are working together to build the foundation and the pipeline for our cyber workforce.

Last July, President Biden released the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. It’s a foundational document that focuses our collective effort on growing the cyber workforce.

And, let me be clear, having a strong cyber workforce isn’t only a matter of national security, it’s also a matter of economic prosperity and technological innovation.

When I was in uniform, it was almost exclusively those of us in the Federal Government who were on the front lines defending our Nation against nation-states. But today, in our increasingly digital world, all of us can find ourselves up against bad cyber actors – whether they be foreign governments or cyber criminals. And that’s a real concern for schools, hospitals, small businesses, state, local, territorial and Tribal governments, and those that own and operate critical infrastructure.

We need a strong force to address these challenges. But today there are approximately half a million – 500,000 – open cybersecurity jobs in our great Nation.

Here in Nevada, there are over 4,000 open cybersecurity jobs– and about 2,500 of those open jobs are here in the Las Vegas region.

In order to protect the Nation and the critical digital systems that underpin our way of life, we must have a large, robust cybersecurity workforce.

In order to achieve the best mission outcomes, we need the best possible team. 

So we need more people seeing themselves in our community.

We need more people being trained in cyber-related fields.

We need more ways for people to join our ranks. 

We need people from every community to have a pathway into a cyber-based career. 

I want to applaud the approach being undertaken here at CSN. You all are getting our young people interested in cybersecurity.

That’s a big part of why I loved hearing about the dual enrollment approach you’ve developed here, allowing students the opportunity to earn college credits while completing their high school courses. That sounds like a best practice to me. 

This high school dual enrollment effort is just one important element of the happenings at the CSN, fueled in part by your status as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Education, which is a program Administered by the National Security Agency.

Speaking of partnerships across the government, the Department of Energy’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program provided CSN a 3-year $500,000 grant that enables CSN to create pathways for around 10 students a year into career fields including cyber.

Through this program, students can receive monetary awards, guaranteed job interviews, and employment at a location like  the Nevada National Security Site.

This is the kind of innovative best practice that we need to scale nationwide.

The approach taken at CSN, stressing the importance of hands-on learning by integrating industry certifications, internships, and work-study programs – facilitating pathways into employment – or transferring to a four-year institution like UNLV – is what sets you all apart and I commend you for it. You are absolutely part of the solution.

I really want to emphasize that for a moment: here in southern Nevada, students are getting hands-on experience, acquiring the most necessary cybersecurity skills, earning college credit – and many times income, as well, due to the internships you facilitate.

They are contributing today to protecting your local community, businesses, critical infrastructure, houses of worship, and more.

We need more people like these students on the front lines protecting our Nation from cyber threats – and when I say protecting our Nation, that doesn’t only mean working for the Federal Government.

Make no mistake, the work CSN graduates are doing – the work many of you do – to protect water systems, school districts, state and local Government groups and so on – are protecting our Nation.

I had the opportunity to visit the CSN Cyber Security Center and saw first-hand what the students are working on.

I want to congratulate Arthur, the Center Director, and Margaret, the Center’s CAE contact, faculty member, and CSN alumna, for their leadership.

The CSN Cyber Security Center demonstrates just how we can continue to support Americans by reducing barriers to good-paying jobs by providing students with hands-on experience and flexible pathways into the field.

Following my remarks, we’re going to hear from an excellent panel to learn more about what’s successful about the approach you all are taking at CSN. We’ll also hear from Paul Woodard. I want to take a moment to share his story.

Paul is a fellow veteran. He was always fascinated by tinkering with things. Solving puzzles. So, as it does with so many, he was soon drawn to cybersecurity.

Paul entered the Marine Corps after high school and served as a Radio Operator. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and learned quickly how to keep his unit connected. His ability to understand technology and networking kept his fellow Marines informed and safe. A weighty task and one he performed well.

When he returned home, he experienced a different challenge: employers appreciated his service and respected his skills on the battlefield, but still required degrees and certifications he didn’t have.

But a Marine knows how to get things done.

Not being deterred, and thanks to the G.I. Bill, Paul returned to school with the original intent of pursuing a career in networking. But here at CSN, he discovered cybersecurity and decided it was the best path for him because it plays to his strengths and interests – tinkering, puzzle solving, figuring out why the environment is behaving the way it is, and service. He earned several certifications and a degree in cybersecurity.

While seeking employment, Paul encountered difficulties with employers citing his outdated work experience in the Marines. He persevered, however, and was able to leverage CSN’s work-study program and eventually secured an entry-level help desk role, where he continued to enhance his cybersecurity skills and actively participated in capture-the-flag events.

Paul’s persistence paid off when he landed an entry-level cybersecurity position in the gaming and hospitality industry. From there, he has steadily advanced to senior-level technical roles.

Passionate about cybersecurity, Paul remains engaged with CSN. He actively mentors cybersecurity students, helping to ease their transition into the workforce.

Paul’s persistence is impressive. As is his true spirit of service. He and I have both discovered, that when you work in cybersecurity, whether you’re in uniform or out, whether you work for the Federal Government or not – a career in cybersecurity is a career where you are protecting your Nation.

Paul, thank you for leadership and for your service, past and present. Thank you for inspiring so many students at CSN. You’ve inspired me too.

Paul’s path is one of many that we need to build the cyber workforce our Nation needs.

While I’ve been the U.S. National Cyber Director, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with leaders across critical infrastructure and I repeatedly hear two things: they need more people ready to join the cyber workforce – like Paul. And they also need resources. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, we are making sure more resources become available.

That’s why it’s so notable that the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda has been delivering for Nevada.

To date, there’s been $4 Billion in public infrastructure, semiconductor and clean energy investments in Nevada under the Biden-Harris Administration. This is all part of a once-in-a-generation investment toward our Nation’s most critical infrastructure.

In Nevada that means:

  • First, Investing in our Digital Infrastructure: We are working to deliver affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet access to everyone in the state. The state of Nevada has received $838 million as part of the Internet for All effort.
  • Second, Cybersecurity Investments: to the tune of $2.4 million to the State of Nevada to be used specifically for cybersecurity, through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
  • And Third, Investments in Jobs of the Future: just a few weeks ago, close to $21 million was awarded to the Nevada Tech Hub to lead initiatives to strengthen the state’s lithium batteries and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors. This is the only Tech Hub-funded project in the country that focuses on education and workforce development for Native American and Indigenous peoples. That’s something to be celebrated because it will make our team stronger.

And right here at CSN, the Administration provided $2.5 million via the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC) to expand internet access.

Additionally, almost $4 million for apprenticeships in Las Vegas and almost $2 million to the Southern Nevada Consortium Project for training for clean tech jobs.

CSN’s partner just down the road, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, became a new CyberCorps Scholarship for Service institution in January 2024, with an investment of over $3.1 million from the National Science Foundation to cultivate talented cybersecurity experts also skilled in artificial intelligence and machine learning who are committed to spending time in government service.

We know the Federal Government can’t solve this issue alone. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to our success. And we’ve been seeing time and time again, partners step up and join our effort.

Today I’m proud to announce that the Nevada Help Desk, a US Department of Labor Registered Cyber Apprenticeship Program, is committing to add no less than 250 apprentices for the next three years right here in Nevada.

And Leidos is leading the charge in reducing barriers through skills-based hiring, and today commits to hire 15,000 veterans and military spouses by 2030, including over 2,500 who would not need to hold a college degree.

Thank you both, Leidos and Nevada Help Desk, for being part of the solution.

CSN is doing its part by fostering an environment of faculty, educators, students, and prospective students that are well-equipped to meet the growing need for cyber.

The partnerships between CSN, UNLV, and your neighbors has made Nevada more cyber resilient in the face of increased threats. 

The connective tissue between the area high schools, institutions of higher learning, and the neighboring communities is something we need to see in more places across the country.

I have been so impressed by my visit today to witness first-hand the ecosystem model you all have built.

I’m grateful for the commitment each of you have demonstrated to growing and developing our cyber workforce, whether you’re an educator, an employer, are enrolled in a cyber program, or are new to discovering the opportunities in our field. You all are instrumental to the ecosystem.

Thank you again for the invitation and the opportunity to meet and learn from you.

I look forward to continuing to grow the cyber workforce together.

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