NICE Community Coordinating Council

Meeting Minutes 

November 28, 2023 | 3:30-5:00 p.m. ET

I. Introduction and Ground Rules – NICE Program Manager Susana Barraza

a. The NICE Community Coordinating Council was established to provide a mechanism in 

which public and private sector participants can develop concepts, design strategies, 

and pursue actions that advance cybersecurity education, training, and workforce 

development.

b. Members are encouraged to participate in the meeting via the platform chat space and 

the Q&A space.

c. Reminder: The meeting is not intended for marketing or other commercial purposes.

II. Opening Remarks

a. Academic Co-Chair – Zarina Blankenbaker, Ph.D., President, Tarrant County College – 

Northwest

i. Dr. Blankenbaker shared that the American Association of Community Colleges 

(AACC) is hosting the annual Workforce Development Institute in New Orleans, 

Louisiana, January 23-26, 2024. The theme of the event is bridges. 

https://www.aacc.nche.edu/programs/workforce-economic-development/wdi/

ii. The draft agenda is available here: https://www.aacc.nche.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2023/08/WDI.2024.Schedule.external.8.25.2023.pdf

iii. Three main topics of interest: 

1. Cybersecurity and workforce development

2. Cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

3. Faculty shortage in high technology fields, specifically related to 

cybersecurity 

b. Industry Co-Chair – Michael Alicea, Chief Human Resources Officer, Trellix

i. There has been a slow down on hiring within some of companies, but not 

necessarily in high technology companies or subject matter expert spaces. 

Companies are still in the 15% to 20% attrition rate as they move from group to 

group and the ancillary pieces that support cybersecurity go down to 9% or 10% 

attrition, which is a very different situation. To conclude, cybersecurity is not 

going through a slowdown in hiring. 

c. Government Co-Chair – Rodney Petersen, Director of NICE 

i. Rodney will be attending AACC’s Workforce Development Institute in New 

Orleans, Louisiana. 
ii. The NICE Team attended the National Governors Association Cybersecurity 

Credentialing and Pathways forum two weeks ago. One theme to walk away 

with was the topic of skills-based hiring. One of the NICE Team’s goals for next 

year is to focus on how we appropriately message the importance of skillsbased hiring without diminishing the importance and value of corresponding 

credentials like high school diplomas, academic degrees and certificates, and 

certifications. https://web.cvent.com/event/8b65d451-4f15-4f03-8643-

b33ebcc4e83e/summary

iii. It was reported that 17 states have passed laws or policies that removed degree 

requirements from position descriptions, and the federal government, through 

executive order, has a similar directive. 

III. Standing Items

a. Report Roundup – Learning from Good Ideas 

Update from the IoT Federal Working Group and IoT Advisory Board

Presented by Barbara Cuthill and Katrina Megas, National Institute of Standards and 

Technology

URL: https://www.nist.gov/itl/applied-cybersecurity/nist-cybersecurity-iot-program/iotfederal-working-group 

i. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Secretary of 

Commerce to deliver a report to Congress on IoT adoption. Two ways of doing 

so are through the interagency working group and via an advisory board of nongovernmental stakeholders. 

ii. The purpose of the report is to provide recommendations on what the federal 

government needs to do to overcome barriers to IoT adoption and to get that 

adoption broadly in the economy. This is aimed at the civilian economy. 

iii. Market sectors including healthcare, agriculture, transportation, and others 

were forced to be included into the IoT advisory board’s charter. The charter 

involves identifying federal impediments to IoT adoption. 

iv. The IoT advisory board had eight meetings over the course of 2023. The board 

will have one last meeting for 2023 and they plan to release an updated charter 

following the December meeting. A final report will become available January or 

February of 2024. 

v. Visit the website to view recordings and obtain access to meeting materials such 

as minutes and draft recommendations. 

vi. As members were putting together draft recommendations, workforce 

shortages came up as a common topic among all market sectors. Specific topics 

that kept surfacing were: lack of sufficient digital skills in the existing workforce, 

merging of IT and OT worlds creates critical skills deficits, and the lack of 

expertise to address integration and interoperability challenges. Advisory board 

members also identified geographic challenges for smaller cities and rural 

communities to attract talent. 

vii. A major theme on the recommendations is fostering an IoT-ready workforce. 

viii. Comments and recommendations for the IoT Advisory Board can be sent to 

barbara.cuthill@nist.gov. 

ix. Comments and recommendations for the IoT Federal Working Group can be 

sent to IoTFWG@nist.gov. 
b. Strategy Stories – New Developments that align to NICE Strategic Plan 

Department of Administrative Services - Ohio Digital Academy

Presented by Justin Ackerman, Ohio Digital Academy & IT Workforce Initiatives

URL: https://careers.ohio.gov/ and https://das.ohio.gov/ 

i. The High School Technology Internship Program provides employers of the State 

of Ohio $5,000 per intern that they hire. This is for a minimum of 120 hours of 

employment at $12 an hour. 

ii. The State of Ohio has a new initiative called the Ohio Teacher Bootcamp 

Program which provides $200,000 per grant. This can be awarded to a higher 

education college or university, or an Ohio Technical Center. This initiative is 

designed to provide an upskilling or reskilling opportunity for 8-12th grade 

teachers related to in demand tech fields such as cybersecurity. 

iii. Additionally, the State of Ohio has the Ohio Tech Credential Program which is a 

reskilling and upskilling program for employers across the state of Ohio, which 

allows for $30,000 per funding round and $2,000 per credential for each 

employee. 

iv. The Ohio Department of Administrative Services has a federally registered 

cybersecurity apprenticeship program. Their apprentices rotate throughout 

different program areas in cybersecurity.

v. Throughout the Ohio Department of Administrative Services agency, they have 

implemented cybersecurity certifications incentives based on merit as well as 

obtaining and maintaining cybersecurity certifications. 

vi. The Ohio Digital Academy (ODA) seeks to create an IT workforce pipeline by 

training and employing early entrants to the industry and setting them on a 

path for a successful career in high demand fields. This program is a three-year 

service commitment to the State of Ohio. Analysts will immediately earn $25 an 

hour and attend an intensive four-week tech bootcamp in their chosen field. 

vii. ODA will recruit individuals completing relevant bootcamps from Ohio and other 

states or from relevant degree programs bi-annually. 

viii. Secondarily, ODA will recruit individuals with no experience but an aptitude for 

related positions and award tuition reimbursement agreements to attend 

related bootcamps or degree programs.

ix. ODA will hire bi-annually, and their first cohort will start January 2024. The first 

cohort will consist of 10 analysts. 

x. Ohio 2022-2023 Innovative Workforce Incentive Program Qualifying IndustryRecognized Credentials https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Ohios-Graduation-Requirements/Industry-Recognized-Credentials/InnovativeWorkforce-Incentive-Program/2021-2022-Innovative-Workforce-IncentiveProgram-Qualifying-Industry-Recognized-Credentials-All-1.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US 

c. Framework Feature – Applications and Uses of Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity 

Capturing Individual Cyber Readiness through KSAT mapping of Industry and Academia 

Cybersecurity Curricula 

Presented by Eileen Acosta, New York University (NYU)

i. The project involves mapping university cybersecurity curricula to the NICE 

Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework) and its 52 distinct 

Work Roles through the respective Knowledge, Skill, Ability, and Task 
statements (KSATs) and creating a database to compare the curricula from 

different educational institutions.

ii. The project facilitates evaluation of new professionals by employers, potential 

roles by applicants, and curriculum by academic institutions.

iii. An additional concept is that mapping courses to the NICE Framework results in 

a more intuitive and organized educational landscape, thereby facilitating the 

communication among educators, students, and employers.

iv. The group has identified industry, academic, and federal stakeholders who have 

interest in the project. The group has begun to look at NYU Cybersecurity 

Curriculum and Syllabi to start KSAT mapping for Graduate level courses. 

v. Some of the challenges the group faces are that the NICE Framework updates 

will be out by end of calendar year 2023 for coordination. The Abilities portion 

of the KSATs will be merged with Knowledge, Skills, and Tasks. This means some 

of the KSATs will change and mapping data will change. Currently there is no 

methodology for mapping. The group will have to develop their own 

methodology. 

d. Research Review- Driving Research on Effective Practices

SANS | GIAC Workforce Study

Presented by Brian Correia, GIAC SANS Institute 

i. The SANS/GIAC Workforce Study will be available to the public in January 2024. 

ii. In effort to complete they Study; a survey was directed towards security team 

leads and hiring managers. The survey focused on the hiring and recruitment of 

cybersecurity staff. The goal of the survey was to focus on the skills and 

expectations of the cybersecurity workforce, not necessarily the headcount of 

how many individuals were hired. 

iii. The Study focused on 5 Work Roles from the NICE Framework and used 

CyberSeek as a tool to conduct the research. 

iv. The goal of the workforce study focused on how individuals hire, how to retain 

workers, whether or not technical workers and human resources are talking the 

same language, and how diversity it built in. 

v. A few takeaways few the Study were that teams are effective, a blend of both 

on-the-job training and traditional training, standardizations are hindering the 

hiring process, upskilling is better, and over 70% of employers have diversity 

programs. 

IV. Working Group Updates

a. Promote Career Discovery 

Co-chair: Keith Davis, Koinonia Family Life, Inc.

i. No update provided. 

b. Transform Learning Process 

Co-chair: Dr. Donna Schaeffer, Marymount University

i. The group has 3 project teams who will focus on providing deliverables to 

support the NICE Strategic Plan Goal 2.6 (Champion the development and 

recognition of teachers, faculty, and instructors as part of the in-demand 

workforce).
a. 2.6.1 Determine the scope and significance of the cybersecurity 

educator workforce gap. Sub-Project Lead: Mike Morris. 

b. 2.6.2 Influence policies that enable hiring and retention of qualified 

and diverse educators. Sub-Project Lead: Jasmine Jackson. 

c. 2.6.5 Explore expansion of NICE Framework to include 

competencies or work roles for cybersecurity educators. Sub-Project 

Lead: Jessie Bolton. 

ii. Website: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinating-council/transformlearning-process

iii. Next meeting: December 12, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. ET

c. Modernize Talent Management 

Co-chair: Jo Justice, Leidos

i. The group has put together new project team that is exploring the topic of 

talent retention. A final deliverable of the project will be a discussion guide 

to be used by hiring managers and employers to discuss common issues that 

cause people to leave. 

ii. A charter for the new project team is under review and will be available 

soon. 

iii. The group is seeking additional volunteers to help with the new project. 

iv. Website: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinatingcouncil/modernize-talent-management 

v. Next meeting: December 21, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. ET

V. Community of Interest Updates 

a. Apprenticeships in Cybersecurity 

Staff: Marian Merritt, NICE

i. Carolyn Renick shared a webinar event Employers: Expand Your Connections to 

Veteran Talent that was to be held November 17 and a podcast Promoting 

Registered Apprenticeships to Attract Veteran Talent. 

ii. Mark Ouellette shared a webinar event that is coming up on November 30 

Uplifting Strategies to Engage Tribal Youth in Registered Apprenticeship 

Programs. 

iii. There was a lively discussion on topics that the community would like to hear 

from in the near future such as Native American Apprenticeship programs, and 

VETS and Apprenticeships. 

iv. Marian mentioned the upcoming National Governor’s Association (NGA)

meeting which was to be held during National Apprenticeship Week. Katie, 

from Safal Partners presented at the recent NGA Cybersecurity Credentialing & 

Education Forum during National Apprenticeship Week in DC. Approximately 20 

states were in attendance for the session, which was moderated by the Business 

Roundtable. 
v. Website: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinatingcouncil/apprenticeships 

vi. Next meeting: December 8, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. ET

b. Cybersecurity Career Ambassadors 

Co-chair: Connie Bragg, AT&T Services

i. The Cybersecurity Career Ambassadors officially had their first meeting in 

November. 

ii. The Cybersecurity Career Ambassador Program seeks to create a network of 

volunteers through employers, educators, and others who serve as champions 

to prepare, grow, and sustain a diverse and skilled cybersecurity workforce.

iii. Next information sessions on how to become an ambassador are Tuesday, 

12/19/23 at 1pm-2pm EST and Tuesday, 1/16/24 at 6pm -7pm EST. 

iv. Website: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinating-council/cybersecuritycareer 

v. Next meeting: December 8, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. ET

c. Cybersecurity Skills Competitions 

Co-chair: David Zeichick, California State University, Chico

i. Brad Wolfenden from US Cyber Games presented to the group. 

ii. The members are work on creating a website to list all the available 

cybersecurity competitions. Now, they are working to add a filter feature which 

will allow individuals to quickly find competitions. 

iii. The group will be demoing the website at the NICE K12 Conference in Phoenix, 

AZ. Stop by the NICE booth, co-chair David Zeichick will be representing the 

Competitions COI. 

d. K12 Cybersecurity Education 

Co-chair: Thomas Trevethan, Palo Alto Networks

i. Lela Bowman, Senior Program Manger of Minecraft Education, shared to the 

group about their new Minecraft cybersecurity curriculum and activities. 

ii. The group received updates of the Ambassador Program, the NICE K12 

Conference, and the K12 Professional Development Series. 

iii. The group discussed potential meeting times for 2024. 

iv. Website: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinating-council/k12-

cybersecurity-education 

v. Next meeting: at the NICE K12 Conference in Phoenix, AZ.

e. Diversity and Inclusion 

Staff: Susana Barraza, NICE

i. The group has identified three new projects: defining our Community of Interest

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) definition, and Mentorship 

Guide for Employers. 

ii. The group will meet every 2nd Friday of the month at 2PM starting January 2024. 
iii. Website: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinating-council/diversity-andinclusion 

iv. Next meeting: December 15, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. ET

f. NICE Framework Users 

Staff: Mike Prebil, NICE

i. On Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 2PM ET the NICE Framework Users Group 

open call will be exploring how cybersecurity skills competitions use the 

Framework. 

ii. They will have guests from four leading competitions—US Cyber Games, 

National Cyber League, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's 

President's Cup, and Dept. of Energy's CyberForce® Program. They will be 

talking about how they use (or would like to use) the NICE Framework in their 

programming.

iii. Framework Users Group: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/community/community-coordinating-council/niceframework-users 

VI. Project Progress Reports 

a. NICE Conference and Expo (Dallas, Texas) – June 3-5, 2024 

Presented by Cesar Cebot, Florida International University 

URL: https://niceconference.org/ 

i. Call for proposal reminders have been sent out to the community. Topics of 

interest have been updated on the website. Explore topics here. 

ii. The recording of the Regional Initiative for Cybersecurity Education and Training 

(RICET) event is now available on YouTube. 

iii. A limited block of discounted rooms will be available at a prevailing government 

rate of $164/night (room rate does not include tax or any applicable fees).

b. US Cyber Games (USCG) 

Presented by Brad Wolfenden

URL: https://www.uscybergames.com/ 

i. The US Cyber Team took home second place at the European Cybersecurity 

Challenge in Hamar, Norway. 

ii. USCG will be hosting an international scrimmage on Saturday, January 27. The 

event will be livestreamed. 

iii. The Wicked6 24-Hour Virtual Global Hack & Chat Event, plus an All-Women’s

Tournament will take place March 29-30, 2024. There are registration discounts 

available for educators and students who register by December 31st. Learn more 

and register here. 

VII. Featured Topic 

New CyberSeek Data 

Presented by Will Markow, Lightcast

URL: https://www.cyberseek.org/ 
i. CyberSeek provides interactive tools to enable users to learn more about the 

cybersecurity workforce within the region as well as explore different types of career 

opportunities and pathways within cybersecurity. 

ii. There are about 572,000 job openings for cybersecurity jobs that were posted over the 

past 12 months within the United States. There are currently about 1.1 almost 1.2 

million existing cybersecurity workers. 

iii. There has been a broader hiring pull back across the entirety of the market over the 

past 12 months. Many organizations have grappled with economic uncertainty 

stemming from rising interest rates and inflation. 

iv. Data suggest that cybersecurity roles and demand for cybersecurity workers is still far 

more robust and resilient than other fields despite the economic uncertainty. The data 

has shown a decrease in job openings coupled with the increase in employment, which 

is a positive indicator that employers are making headway in filing many cybersecurity 

jobs. 

v. A new feature on the CyberSeek website is the optimized job descriptions. This was 

added with the intent to help organizations make it as easy as possible to take a skilled 

based approach rather than simply a degree-based approach to hiring for cybersecurity 

roles. These are job descriptions that people can cut and paste that have already been 

optimized for the skill set that we find are most relevant within each of the roles. 

Additionally, there is a link to a job posting optimizer which allows users to customize 

their security roles or other IT roles and build out optimized job descriptions for those 

that are informed by market data about what types of skills and requirements are most 

important to include within those job descriptions. 

vi. Last, CyberSeek has updated the data within the education and training provider map. 

The map now includes one to two fields within the program type, so it becomes easier 

to identify remote opportunities for training regardless of where the individual is 

located. 

VIII. Closing Remarks and Next Meeting Reminder

The next NICE Community Coordinating Council Meeting will be January 23, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. 

ET.