Center for Women in Cyber (CWC)

Capitol Technology University’s Center for Women in Cyber (CWC) is focused on empowering women of all ages to pursue careers in cyber. This Center seeks to address the growing need for women professionals and leaders in cyber-related fields.

The technology field's gender gap has been a persistent challenge. The CWC encourages women to seek opportunities in the important and developing field of cybersecurity so their contributions can be embraced. Women leaders are unmatched in terms of creativity, perspective, and collaboration. The CWC provides the resources, direction, and positive support needed for success in achieving professional and educational goals through presentations, hands-on activities, partnerships, and mentoring. The CWC is passionate in its quest to develop the next generation of diverse cyber leaders.

Mission Statement

The Center for Women in Cyber (CWC) empowers women of all ages to pursue cyber careers. Through presentations, hands-on activities and mentoring, the CWC community provides direction, encouragement, and support to the next generation of cyber leaders.

Activities & Events

Dr. Diane M. Janosek, Executive Director of the CWC, along with Christine Billingsley, MCPA Chief Operating Officer and creator of the DEF CON Arcade Party, will be speaking in a fireside chat at HammerCon 2023 hosted on the Capitol Technology University campus.

Date: Thurs., May 18, 2023

Time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern

*The CWC will also have a booth at HammerCon, so please stop by and say hello!
The Center for Women in Cyber (CWC) will be hosting a virtual Leadership Retreat event for those interested in networking with leaders in cyber and learning more about what the CWC has to offer! This one-day retreat will feature a variety of topics and activities to engage participants with leadership and other members, as well as explore the areas of cyber education, employment, and professional development. Discover all the ways that You Belong in cyber!

Interested in being a guest speaker for this event? Submit your proposal here.

Past Events & On-Demand Content

Leadership & Advisory Board

Dr. Diane M. Janosek
Executive Director

Dr. Diane M. Janosek is an international award-winning, well-known cybersecurity leader and author. She is dedicated to giving back to the community and increasing diversity in the cybersecurity, national security and technology domains. Having both her law degree (J.D.) and Ph.D. (from Capitol Technology University in Cybersecurity Leadership), she focuses on the intersection of law and policy with technology. 

Fatou Sankare
Assistant Director

Fatoumata Sankare holds a Master of Science (M.S.) in Cybersecurity from Fordham University and is currently completing her doctorate at Marymount University with a research focus of privacy, policy, and data in cybersecurity. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Political Science from Howard University. Prior to joining Capitol Tech, Fatou was a visiting professor in Computer Information Systems at West Virginia University (WVU) Potomac State College and an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology at Marymount University, as well as a federal government staff member and contractor. Her areas of expertise include data science, privacy, policy, Information Security, and ethical hacking. She holds a certification in AWS Machine Learning Specialty.

Genesis Diaz
Coordinator

Genesis Diaz is a current Cybersecurity undergraduate at Capitol Technology University. She received her ACT Training certificate from the Baltimore Cyber Range, a company committed to preparing future IT professionals with knowledge to protect systems from cyber threats and to thrive in the cybersecurity industry. Genesis has always been interested in technology and her lifelong dream is to one day work with the FBI to help stop cyber-crime. Genesis is open to learning new things and enjoys helping others and giving back to the community. Her goal is to become the first in her family with a degree and to assist her parents in their retirement.
Dr. Nikki Robinson
Advisory Board Member

Dr. Nikki Robinson is a Security Architect and Adjunct Professor with Capitol Technology University. She holds a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Cybersecurity as well as a Ph.D. in Human Factors. Her research is focused on blending psychology and cybersecurity. She also holds several industry certifications such as CISSP, CEH, MCITP, etc. Dr. Robinson has a background in IT Operations and Engineering and moved into the Security field several years ago. Her expertise is in vulnerability management, security architecture and design, as well as integrating human factors into security engineering practices.

Dr. Marianne Meins
Advisory Board Member

Dr. Marianne Meins currently serves as Vice President of Converged Environment at Vectrus where she leads the mission in developing and implementing advanced technical solutions in the Defense, Homeland Security, and Intelligence Community sectors. With more than 25 years of national security-related experience, Dr. Meins has held several executive positions in industry, such as President of Onclave in strategy and business operations for Secure IoT, Vice President of Critical Infrastructure Protection at Parsons Corporation, and Vice President of Cyber & Intelligence Sector and Business Development for the National Security Division. She also serves as an Executive Advisory Board member of George Mason’s Computer Game Design Program. Dr. Meins holds a Ph.D. in Critical Infrastructure from Capitol Technology University.

Kimberly Mentzell
Advisory Board Member

Kimberly currently serves as the Director for Cybersecurity and Aerospace at the Maryland Department of Commerce.  She has worked in the technology field for over twenty years as an educator and professional in cybersecurity, networking, Linux, and programming.  She held positions as a cyber program manager, IT manager, network administrator, technology coordinator, programmer, and auditor.  She maintains several industry certifications, as well as actively teaches at the collegiate level at Capitol Technology University and Frederick Community College.  Kimberly serves as a member of the Maryland Cybersecurity Council and as the co-chair for the MD Cyber Education Committee in conjunction with the MD Center for Computing Education (MCCE) Steering Committee.  She is also a member of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys), Cybersecurity Association of Maryland (CAMI), Maryland Tech Council, TechFrederick Advisory Board, and Ethical Hacking Council Advisory Board.  Recently, she received the FISSEA Innovator of the Year Award from NIST for her contributions to cyber education.  In addition, she is also an active attendee and/or speaker at many local, national, and international cybersecurity conferences and events such as DefCon, CyberMaryland, and InfoSec – Europe.   

Dr. William Butler
Advisory Board Member

Dr. William (Bill) Butler is currently the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Capitol Technology University, having previously served as Cybersecurity Chair for 8 years. He holds a D.Sc. in Cybersecurity at Capitol Technology University with research focusing on consumer countermeasures to illegal cellphone intercept, as well as undergraduate and graduate studies at Brenau University, Marine Corps University, U.S. Army War College, National Defense University, and University of Maryland. Dr. Butler has worked in the networking and IT industries as a network engineer and consultant for over 20 years. Dr. Butler also served as a joint qualified communications information systems officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and retired as a Colonel with 30 years of service (active and reserve). He is very active in various working groups such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cloud Computing Security Forum Working Group (NIST CCSFWG), Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Big Data and Mobile Computing Working Group, National CyberWatch Center Curriculum Taskforce, and the National Cybersecurity Student Association Advisory Board.

Resources & Links

A Guide for Women in Cybersecurity
from cybersecurityguide.org