Remarks: National Cyber Director Coker at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

October 2, 2024

Remarks As Prepared for Delivery

Good afternoon. Thank you, Balaji, for the introduction and for all the great work you’re doing leading the cyber program here at UW-Whitewater.

Dean [Jason] Janke, and Dr. [Paul] Ambrose, thank you both for your leadership ensuring that cybersecurity is a priority in your curriculums.

And to my close colleague and friend, the honorable Rob Shriver, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, I’m so glad to be here with you in Wisconsin. You’re a great partner in Washington and a great friend out on the road.

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 University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

I’ve particularly enjoyed meeting with the students this morning. To those students, believe me when I tell you that I am more encouraged about our Nation’s future after meeting all of you.

I’ve been inspired here at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater because you all are making sure that students are trained, inspired and well on their way to joining our Nation’s cyber workforce.

And that couldn’t be more important.

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 small businesses, schools, hospitals, state, local, territorial and Tribal governments, and those that own and operate critical infrastructure.

Today, there are approximately half a million – 500,000 – open cyber jobs in our great Nation.

Here in Wisconsin, there are almost 5,000 open cybersecurity jobs, and about 3,000 of those open jobs are here in the Janesville, Madison, and Milwaukee area.

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.

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

So, we need more people seeing themselves serving their own communities doing cyber jobs.

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

We need more ways for them to join our ranks. 

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

That is why our office – ONCD – in partnership with Rob and OPM as well as the Office of Management and Budget – have recently launched the Service for America campaign.

Throughout September and October, together, we are running a

recruiting, hiring, and engagement campaign aimed at getting the word out and encouraging more Americans to join us in good-paying, meaningful jobs in cyber, technology, and artificial intelligence., to recruit and hire folks into cyber.

In fact, the hiring fair Rob and I are attending this afternoon is a perfect example of what Service for America is all about. Today Federal Agencies are coming here to UW-Whitewater to recruit.

The Federal Government is leading by example – and I know Rob will talk more about this. We understand that cyber is needed in every agency.

And that mirrors what we see across the country and across the economy. Cybersecurity professionals are needed in every industry. At every level of government. And this month – as we celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month – I want every company to understand that they can and should consider recruiting for cyber talent.

If you’re interested in learning more about Service for America and our related efforts, I invite you to visit WhiteHouse.gov/ServiceForAmerica.

As I mentioned, Rob and I are pleased to be here, meeting students, learning from the faculty and employers, and attending the career fair.

We’re excited to meet some of the 20 employers hiring for cyber talent. Seeing that up close is a real best practice.

In my almost ten months as National Cyber Director, I’ve been traveling across the country to see firsthand, and spotlight, the best practices – the things that are going well – as we work to build the Nation’s cybersecurity workforce.

A couple of months ago, for example, I was out west in Nevada 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.

And just a few months ago, we visited Madison Technical College to learn about the pathways for students attending a 2-year college. After the visit, our team told me that there is also great work being done for those who are getting 4-year degrees at UW-Whitewater.

Deans Janke and Ambrose spoke about what you all are proud of here at UW-Whitewater. And you should be proud.

The hands-on experiential learning you facilitate provides opportunities to develop the skills that employers are looking for on day one. You all are getting our young people interested in cybersecurity.

I loved hearing about the Thinking in Code Learning Communities that you’ve developed here for students passionate about computer science. That’s another best practice we encourage others to take a look at.

You all are designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Education. The program is administered by the National Security Agency and as a former Executive Director of the NSA, I can tell you that status is not easy to obtain nor maintain. It’s the gold standard for cyber education, so it’s a big deal. Well done.

We’ve also been truly impressed by the cyber ecosystem you have developed in this region. I’m a particular fan of universities who understand it is vital to work with K-12 districts, community colleges, and local stakeholders to make sure that pathways are being created for more Americans to get started in the cyber workforce.  

These are the kinds of best practices that we need to scale nationwide. I commend you for it. It’s clear that you are absolutely part of the solution.

Here in southeast Wisconsin, students are getting hands-on experience, acquiring the most necessary cybersecurity skills, earning college credit – and many times income, as well – and are contributing today to protecting the local community.

Make no mistake, the work Whitewater graduates are doing – the work many of you do – to protect rural agribusinesses, food supply chain entities, water systems, school districts, state and local government groups and so on – are protecting our Nation.

The work being done here demonstrates just how we can continue to support Americans by reducing barriers to good-paying, meaningful cyber jobs by providing students with hands-on experience and flexible pathways into the field.

Shortly, we’ll hear from an excellent panel to learn more about the great work here at UW-Whitewater.

Two folks we’ll hear from are Mike Rose and Shamik Patro. I’d like to take a moment to share their stories.

Mike is a fellow Navy man with a background in cryptology. Hooyah, shipmate!

As a child, here in Wisconsin, Mike dreamt of becoming a doctor to help others and save lives.

After joining the military out of high school and spending time with computers, he came to understand how similar his new interest was to his earlier dream of serving in medicine.

“In many ways,” Mike said, “being in cyber is like being a doctor for a computer. You can help people and save lives, especially when you’re talking about the real threats to our critical infrastructure, like water systems.”

He left active duty and decided to come back to Wisconsin. He immediately found a home here at UW–Whitewater citing the caring faculty, high quality education, and reasonable price.

Mike is now a Reservist. He works high-end missions at home and abroad. He’s balancing his career as Director of IT for St. John’s Northwestern Academies and volunteering on the state’s cyber incident response team. And through all of it, Mike recently completed his master’s degree.

He now plans to pursue a doctorate, as well as a Commission as an Officer in the Navy’s Cyber Warfare Engineer Community. My hat’s off to you for your enduring service, Shipmate. Thank you.

Just as inspiring and earlier in his journey is Shamik Patro, a cybersecurity student here at Whitewater who is also serving simultaneously as a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and as an ROTC cadet.

Like Mike, and many of us, Shamik was drawn to cyber to serve others. Attached to a Cyber Protection Team as a Guardsman and exposed to the full scope of threats that our Nation faces in cyberspace, he accurately concluded that we – as a society – are absolutely reliant on so many digital systems, particularly those handling critical infrastructure. He figured out that the risk is great. And he wanted to help.

Shamik shared that he wants “to apply his skills to do important work that makes a real difference in addressing these issues, which the public may never know about.”

Upon graduation, Shamik plans to continue his Guard service as a Cyber Warfare Officer.

Shamik, I’d like to thank you for what you’re already doing and your willingness to continue serving. I know you will have a bright future.

The example provided by these two cyber professionals is impressive and inspiring – as is their spirit of service.

Mike, Shamik and I all know 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.

The paths taken by Mike and Shamik are just two 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 Mike and Shamik – and they 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 Wisconsin.

For starters, right here at your Cybersecurity Center for Business, led by Balaji, they’ve been part of a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Engines Development Award to pursue sustainable agriculture in Wisconsin, which is facilitating hands-on learning experiences for students by helping to protect small and mid-size businesses in rural areas against security breaches such as ransomware attacks.

We’re also ensuring access to the digital economy for every American. Across the state, more than 426,700 households across are saving on high-speed internet, with $1.6 billion provided for affordable, reliable high-speed internet. This includes:

• Over $1 billion from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (or BEAD) Program to build high-speed internet infrastructure, support teaching skills, and provide equipment so everyone can use the Internet.

• Almost $14.9 million from the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program to reduce the cost of bringing high-speed internet service to unserved and underserved communities by connecting local networks to major networks.

• $14.2 million from Digital Equity Act Programs to provide funding to promote digital inclusion and advance equity for all. These programs aim to ensure that all communities have access to and can use affordable, reliable high-speed internet.

Much of this funding comes from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, one of our Federal partners that Rob and I work closely with.

We’re pleased that NTIA is going to be continuing their great work in 2025 by funding approximately $1.7 billion in cyber-related grants across the Nation. These grants include efforts to implement digital literacy and skills training opportunities that minimize barriers to entry into the cyber workforce.

So the Federal Government – and the Biden-Harris Administration – are making important investments. But we know that the Federal Government can’t solve this issue alone. Collaboration and partnership are 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 several new commitments:

SIMS Software, a company focused on security management systems, is establishing a Cyber Internship Program, bringing on at least 5 paid interns each year.

Snyk, a world leader in developer security is offering 10 free hands-on training sessions to the public each year, and a session exclusively for students to prepare them for the workforce.

And Sapphire BLU, which is committing to hire 50 professionals in 2025 through programs such as Registered Apprenticeships that welcome veterans, military spouses, and entry-level candidates.

Thank you so much NTIA, SIMS, Snyk, and Sapphire BLU for being a big part of the solution.

Before I pass the mic to my friend and partner Rob, I’d like to again thank all of you for doing your part to build the Nation’s cyber workforce.

You all are doing your part by fostering an environment of faculty, educators, and students that are well-equipped to meet the growing need for cyber. This region, the state of Wisconsin and the Nation are safer and more prosperous because of what you’re doing here.

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.