FISSEA Innovator of the Year Award Nomination Form

Nominee's Information

Name of Nominee Kim Mentzell

Nominee's Employing Organization Maryland Department of Commerce

Nominee's Position and/or Title Cybersecurity Program Manager

Justification for nomination. Include a brief description of the impact the individual has had on the awareness and training

program within his or her organization. Examples include: creating an innovative awareness program training and that

strengthens the cybersecurity of a federal department or agency, providing frequent status updates to senior

management about awareness and training outcomes that reduce enterprise risks, and leading an awareness- and

training-related program or project with limited resources.

Ms. Kim Mentzell has made a significant impact of contributions in inspiring the strategic planning, building, and management of

innovative cybersecurity awareness and training programs for people in the public sector for over 20 years from elementary and middle

school to high school to college and to professionals.

Ms. Mentzell is the Cybersecurity Program Manager at the Maryland Department of Commerce, and the Program Manager of Cyber/IT

at Frederick Community College. Previously, she was an IT Manager, Network Administrator, Programmer, Auditor, and

Cybersecurity/Networking Educator, and holds several certifications including CompTia Security+, Network+, A+, CCNA Routing and

Switching, and CCNA Cyber Operations.

Her advanced degrees of Master of Science - MS, Cybersecurity, University of Maryland Global Campus; Master of Education - MEd,

Education, Frostburg State University; and Master of Arts - MA, Secondary Education and Teaching, Notre Dame of Maryland

University prepared her well for leading and teaching cybersecurity.

Ms. Mentzell is the Cybersecurity Program Manager, Maryland Department of Commerce, responsible for the effective development,

communication and projection of Maryland as the epicenter and thought leader for the cyber community. She plays a vital role in the

achievement of Commerce’s goals by cultivating and managing key partnerships with special interest groups, vendors, entrepreneurs,

educators, legislators, investors, contractors, businesses, and organizations. She provides resources and information regarding

business development for all Maryland cybersecurity businesses, including collaboration with the venture capital and investment

community and various Maryland organizations (Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Maryland Building Industry Association

(MBIA), Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO)) to support early stage and start-up companies. She provides

cybersecurity expertise to assist with financial opportunities available to cyber businesses in Maryland, including review of fiscal data,

intellectual property documentation and validity of company credentials. Additionally, connecting and championing Maryland’s role in

cybersecurity through special events, activities, programs, public relations and marketing efforts. She represents Commerce at

association, council, and community events of all types; directing and ensuring successful development and execution of cyber

industry events; and facilitates Commerce’s participation in industry conferences.

Ms. Mentzell’s is this year’s Closing Keynote: The Evolution and Resilience of Cyber Threats for Organizations, CyberMaryland

Conference 2022. This conference is an annual event in conjunction with academia, government and private industry organizations to

provide an opportunity to share best practices, highlight innovations, identify business opportunities and network with this dynamic

cybersecurity community. The CyberMaryland Conference hosts 1,200 attendees from more than 30 states and 5 countries.

Ms. Mentzell spoke at a webinar for the UK, Northern Ireland, Midlands Cyber in Manufacturing Conference (2021) as she works with

various industry sectors to evangelize the necessity of cybersecurity and the various resources available to them. This conference is

aimed at senior management, practicing engineers and researchers of manufacturing leaders, academics and government agencies

and showcases innovative approaches and disseminates the cutting edge research that underpins them.

Ms. Mentzell was a panelist in the CyberAg conference which brought cyber awareness, education, outreach, and resources to

agriculture and food communities featuring some of the whos, hows, and whys, as well as a view of the near-shore/future cyber (and
FISSEA Innovator of the Year Award Nomination Form

closely related) threats to the US Food and Agriculture supply chain.

As part of championing Maryland’s role in cybersecurity with educators Ms. Mentzell was the Co-leader of 2021 NSA’s GenCyber

Camp for high school teachers coming from high schools in five Maryland counties, the District of Columbia, northern Virginia, New

Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania for an intensive week-long workshop designed to help incorporate cybersecurity into school

curriculum.

Ms. Mentzell’s academic accomplishments includes:

Adjunct Professor, Capitol Technology University, Part-time

* Provides instruction for Cisco Networking Academy courses through online, hybrid, and in-person models aligning with CCNA

certification.

* Develops and updates computer science curriculum material for physical, hybrid, and online classes.

Adjunct Professor and Program Manager for Cybersecurity and IT, Frederick Community College

* Provides supervisory duties through oversight of the cybersecurity and technology programs for the college, including 

programmatic adjustments and curriculum modifications based on current trends in the cyber and IT professional

landscape.

* Collaborates with department chair and other program leaders to facilitate college policies and procedures

* Supervises adjunct and permanent professors and instructors in the cyber/IT areas by monitoring course schedules, providing

appropriate feedback through evaluation process, addressing student and staff concerns, and retaining and identifying appropriate

staff for current and future courses.

* Provides instruction for PC diagnostics and Software, Cybersecurity, Cisco Networking, Cisco Cyber Operations, and Python

Programming.

* Develops and updates computer science curriculum material for physical, hybrid, and online classes.

* Member of FCC Curriculum Committee, Professional Advisory Committee, and Computer and Business Leadership Team

Frederick County Public Schools

* Information Technology InstructorInformation Technology Instructor

** Provided instruction in the areas of cybersecurity, networking, Linux, web technology, and programming.

** Built custom labs utilizing technologies such as VMWare, Virtual Box, Faronics Deep Freeze, Insight, and other applications

on Windows and Linux operating systems.

** Prepared students to successfully achieve certification through Cisco and CompTIA

** Member of the Frederick County Public Schools Technology Review Committee

** Department Chair

** Member of CSI Committee, EEA (Effective Educators Academy), Technology Committee, and STEM Coordinator.

** Founder and team coach of the Cyber Team.

* Network Administrator/Technology Coordinator

** Provided support for diverse environment including: Windows Server 2012R2 and 2016, Active Directory, Windows XP, Vista,

7,8.x,10, Microsoft Exchange and Office, TAC, Blackboard, Google Classroom, Google Apps for Education, Promethean, 

mobile devices (all major platforms), Mac OSX and various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Kali, and RHEL.

** Coordinated implementation of technology throughout school, including supervision of computer resources for entire staff .

* Web Administrator

** Updated and managed school website utilizing Drupal.

** Created, programmed, and maintains online web application for CTC utilizing IIS web server with php.

** Provided technology support for faculty, staff, guests, and the student population comprised of 10 Frederick County high 

schools.

** Furnished technology instruction and training for students, staff, and faculty.

** Liaison between teaching staff and technical services teams, providing on-sitesupport as well as localized solutions for

computing requirements.
FISSEA Innovator of the Year Award Nomination Form

Technology Teacher, Web Master, IT Manager, St. Mary Catholic School

* Technology teacher for grades K-8. IT Manager for both school and parish community.

* Developed technology curriuculum for all grades, and implemented code.org.

* Managed all software and hardware throughout the school and parish, utilizing Active Directory, Exchange, AppRiver, Barracuda,

SmartBoard, and various other technologies.

* Served on the Marketing Committee and Technology Committee.

* Web Administrator

Ms. Mentzell’s volunteering activities includes:

Member of Global Advisory Board for Ethical Hacking. This Advisory Board comprises prominent global leaders and world-class

cybersecurity professionals from diverse sectors and well-known brands and serves as invaluable guides build new initiatives in

Ethical Hacking. Ms. Mentzell’s reviews white papers regarding cyber concepts for consumption by members and general public.

Steering Committee Member, Maryland Center for Computing Education (MCCE). The MCCE is a partnership with the University of

Maryland, Baltimore County, and the University of Maryland, College Park. The long-term vision is for a collaborative Center that has

connections with USM campuses, school systems, nonprofits, industrial partners, and other government agencies for a strong publicprivate partnership. This builds on several national-level computing initiatives (including the White House’s CS for All initiative, the

NSF-funded Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance, and the P-12 Computing Education Framework initiative.). She is a

Computer Science Praxis Facilitator and curriculum development for networking and cybersecurity.

Co-Chair Cyber Education Committee, Maryland State Computer Science Steering Committee. This committee is developing cyber

pathways and curriculum to support the growing need for highly-skilled employees in the field of cybersecurity in Maryland. Ms.

Mentzell ensured MD has a K-12 Cyber Range for all MD students starting fall 2022 and Governor Hogan approved funds in the final

supplemental budget for the year.

CyberAg Senior Advisor. CyberAg is an initiative of Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center that focuses on cybersecurity with the

agricultural sector.

Team Manager, CyberPatriot. CyberPatriot, created by the Air & Space Forces Association (a professional military association for the

United States Air Force and United States Space Force) is a national youth cyber education program created in the United States to

help direct students toward careers in cybersecurity, computer, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Ms.

Mentzell founded the Cyber Team at Career Technology Center. She works with high school students to train and prepare to complete

in cybersecurity events such as CyberPatriot, SANS, National Cyber League, and a variety of Capture The Flag. Under her leadership

her team achieves platinum tier placement on a yearly basis in CyberPatriot and National Cyber League, as well as various hacking

and cyber competitions at the local and national level.

Consultant, TeachCyber.org, a non-profit dedicated to developing, supporting, and stewarding excellent cybersecurity education at the

secondary level. Ms. Mentzell is revising cybersecurity labs and curriculum for TeachCyber.org.

Facilitator, Code.org. Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing

participation by young women and students from other underrepresented groups. Ms. Mentzell facilitated instruction for CS principles

and cybersecurity.

Western Region Liasion - Maryland, Computer Science Teachers Association, bringing teachers, industry partners, and stakeholders

together for to provide access to high-quality computer science courses and experiences for students in the state of Maryland. In

addition to helping all teachers in the western part of Maryland (Allegheny, Washington, Garrett, and Frederick counties) she co-lead a

monthly CSTA meeting discussing cybersecurity and robotics.

Member of National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), where her leadership gave her an award for Cyber Educator
FISSEA Innovator of the Year Award Nomination Form

in Maryland.

Ms. Mentzell’s goal is to foster and develop opportunities for organizations and people in the cybersecurity community. Based of all

her accomplishments, she has succeeded and with her leadership and collaborations the cybersecurity community is poised to keep

people safe!

Person making this nomination:

Name Craig Holcomb

Organization NSA

Position or Title Senior Compliance Officer (Retired)