NICE Community Coordinating Council

Meeting Agenda 

May 24, 2023 | 3:30-5:00 p.m. ET

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I. Introduction and Ground Rules – NICE Program Manager Susana Barraza (3:30 – 3:32)

• 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.

• Members are encouraged to participate in the meeting via the platform chat 

space and the Q&A space.

• Reminder: The meeting is not intended for marketing or other commercial 

purposes.

II. Opening Remarks

a. Interim Academic Co-Chair – Paul Bingham, Vice President and Dean, College of 

Information Technology, Governors University (3:32 – 3:35) 

• This is Paul’s last month with the NICE Community Coordinating Council. He 

shared words or gratitude to the members. 

• “We mindlessly traverse the internet and enjoy a secured National digital 

infrastructure because good people, like the members of the NICE Community 

Coordinating Council, work diligently well outside the limelight to expand 

educational opportunities, and advocate for diversity and equity in the 

formation of policies and workplace roles in cybersecurity.”

b. Government Co-Chair – Rodney Petersen, Director of NICE (3:35 – 3:38) 

• Looking forward to NICE Conference in Seattle. The theme is on “Resetting 

Expectations”, which is not to say that the work of the NICE Community 

Coordinating Council hasn’t been important or impressive, but that we need to 

continue the work, and in some ways, re-assess how we go about doing so. 

III. Standing Items (Paul facilitates)

a. Report Roundup – Learning from Good Ideas (3:38 – 3:45) 

2023 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Global Research Report

Presented by Melonia Da Gama, Fortinet

URL: 

https://www.fortinet.com/content/dam/maindam/PUBLIC/02_MARKETING/08_Report/

2023-

cybersecurity_skills_gap_report_final.pdf?utm_source=website&utm_medium=pr&utm

_campaign=cybersecurity-skills-gap-2023 
• The Fortinet Training Institute is responsible for training at the organization as 

well as the organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). 

• As part of Fortinet’s CSR, they provide training to develop the future 

cybersecurity workforce, focusing on students, women, minorities, and 

veterans. The certifications that the training supports are mapped to NICE 

Framework Work Roles to help those entering cybersecurity to navigate 

pathways.

• Fortinet’s Skills Gap Report is an extension of their CSR work helps drill down 

into what kinds of organizations are looking for talent and who is going into 

cybersecurity. This is the second year of the report.

• The Report has a global scope, looking at all types of roles and company sizes, 

business sectors, and gender. 

• The data shows that numbers keep going up: 

• The number of breeches companies experience is up by 4%.

• There are more organizations with 5 or more breeches each year.

• The reported costs associated with breeches is also going up. 

• More board members are asking organizations about what they’re doing to 

address cybersecurity and are asking for increases in staff. This is a good 

indicator and shows that cybersecurity is becoming more of a priority for 

the c-suite.

• Employers are asking staff to have more certifications and more 

organizations are willing to pay for staff to get certified.

• Fortinet’s Security Awareness and Training Brief is a smaller report that will be

coming out on May 31st. 

b. Strategy Stories – New Developments that align to NICE Strategic Plan 

Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship Programs (3:45 – 3:52) 

Presented by Emma McCallie, Tennessee Department of Education

URL: https://www.tn.gov/education/news/2022/1/13/tennessee-pioneers-permanentprogram-to-become-a-teacher-for-free--first-state-to-sponsor-registered-teacheroccupation-apprenticeship-.html 

• Grow Your Own (or “teach your occupation”) program are currently in 17 states 

and growing. Tennessee was first state to apply for recognition from the U.S. 

Department of Labor (DoL) as a registered apprenticeship program. They 

received recognition in January 2022. 

• Specialty subjects such as STEM and AP classes struggle to find teachers. 

Additionally, it can be costly to become a teacher and first-year teachers often 

find it difficult to adjust to teaching.

• Teacher apprenticeships support this by getting more teachers prepared with 

experience. Teachers don’t pay a dime for the apprenticeship and they gain 1-3 

years of experience during the apprenticeship. 
• In Tennessee, Grow Your Own (GYO) is supported by a $20M State investment

that was used to start the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center in 2020. 

• GYO has partnerships with 65 organizations across the state and works with 14 

education preparation providers and 63 school district to source and place 

teachers. 

• Apprenticeship, by DoL requirements have employer involvement, on-the-job 

training, related instruction, compensation for skills gain, and a national 

occupation credential. 

• Teacher apprentices may go through Masters, Bachelors, or licensing structures. 

• The GYO cohort as of January 2023 is up to 200+ teachers and apprentices.

• Q&A:

Q: Don’t school districts need to have funding to pay for the positions since the 

teachers are not fully certified and licensed to serve as a teacher?

A: The state pushing to continue to support districts in making smart Human 

Resource decisions and re-evaluate what types of credentials are necessary. 

Q: How long is the average apprenticeship for someone without a degree?

A: Without a degree, that'd be a 3-year program (a bachelor's program 

condensed into 3-years, including summers). 

Q: You mentioned Science and Math as "academic areas of need". What about 

Technology and Engineering? These are the teachers that often provide 

cybersecurity-related instruction. Are teacher apprenticeships being used to 

help address the need for teachers in cybersecurity-related courses or academic 

disciplines?

A: YES! All-encompassing STEM would certainly be the right category. 

Particularly in rural TN areas, we continue to find the need for educators in 

those related dispositions. Grow Your Own also is a competency-based program 

(rather than time bound) meaning retirees or those with prior learning can bring 

that to the table for credit.

JumpStart into Cyber Summer Program (3:52 – 3:59)

Presented by Ambreen Siraj, National Science Foundation; Kyle Jones, Sinclair 

Community College; Max Shuftan, SANS

URL: https://sinclairwfd.regfox.com/cyberstart 

• The JumpStart into Cyber Summer Program is a collaborative effort between the 

National Science Foundation, SANS, Sinclair Community College, and the 

National Cybersecurity Training and Education Center (NCyTE)

• JumpStart is a two-step program to allow students to explore whether or not 

they would be interested in going into cybersecurity as a career. Part 1 is to 

offer a Capture the Flag Competition for students to test and learn skills. Part 2 

is to retain students with diverse backgrounds by offering opportunity to gain a 

SANS certification. 
• JumpStart is partnering with HBCU and PBIs for outreach to underserved 

communities. 

• An informational webinar on the Program will be held on May 30th at 7:30pm 

ET. 

• Registration for the Program is open now through June 4. Between June 5-June 

19, students well get access to a gamified platform called CyberStart where they 

play as an agent solving cybersecurity challenges and can gain badges. Those 

who score strongly, will get invited to join a Foundations training course and 

meet with mentors. At end of course, students can sit for the GFACT 

certification.

• Q&A:

Q: what are the minimum requirements for part 1 and part 2? and will the 

session next week be recorded?

A: The webinar on May 30, 2023 will recorded. 

Q: How will you ensure that this summer program reaches the 

underrepresented populations you seek to serve? What type of mentoring or 

support services will they receive?

A: Ensuring reach - Sinclair and SANS are working with guidance from NSF on 

outreach strategy, capturing demographic information as students register, and 

will be following eligibility set by NSF in selection for the training and 

certification. 

A: Ensuring support - several certified and employed graduates from past 

training programs will provide ongoing mentoring via office hours, Slack, and 

tutorial sessions.

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

(3:59 – 4:06) 

Special Issue: NICE Framework 2023 Volume

Presented by Laurin Buchanan and David Tobey, National CyberWatch Center

URL: https://www.nationalcyberwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SI-Call-NICEVolume.pdf 

• This is the second Special Issue on the NICE Framework. The first volume of the 

CSJ Special Issue on the NICE Framework can be downloaded 

here: https://www.nationalcyberwatch.org/resource/csj-2020-nice-special-issue

• The CSJ is looking for examples of the usefulness, benefits, and challenges 

associated with the adoption, adaptation, or extension of the NICE Framework. 

• A call for proposals for the special issue is open now. 

• Virtual focus groups will be held to support exchange of ideas, methods, and 

approaches and get conversation going between researchers, academics, and 

industry to discuss what data the community needs or wants, where to go next, 

and find ideas for future systematic study.
• Transcripts of the discussions can be submitted to the CSJ for publication. 

• Focus group proposals are due by June 1, 2023.

d. Research Review- Driving Research on Effective Practices (4:06 – 4:13)

Cybersecurity Content Convergence (C3) Framework: Integration of Cybersecurity 

Content into Non-technical Curriculum

Presented by Cynthia Sutherland, Amazon

• Research was prompted because, as a Security Operations Chief, Cynthia saw a 

problem with collaborating with lawyers. Cynthia learned that lawyers did not 

have the knowledge needed to make informed decisions on cybercrime cases. 

• The research looked at gaps between competency requirements for students in 

Juris Doctor programs versus professionals as well as gaps in curriculum 

development and instructional design practices for integrating cybersecurity 

into curriculum (not just incorporating it as an add-on). 

• The research also looked at gaps in the NICE Framework Work Role(s) for 

Cybercrime Prosecutors by analyzing the Tasks, Knowledge, and Skills.

• Eight participants were interviewed for the study. These participants had 

experience integrating cybersecurity content into Juris Doctor curriculum 

programs that originally had no technical content.

• The research produced the C3 Framework, a logical model for capturing the 

external influences that impact the progress and success or failure of an 

educational program. External influences such as accreditation standards or 

impacts of institutional leadership – and their priorities.

• The C3 model also produces the key elements of a successful education 

program. 

• Last, the C3 Framework produces deliverables that allow you to scale program, 

such as competency models, education objectives, and the potential for 

accrediting a multidisciplinary curriculum. 

IV. Working Group Updates

a. Promote Career Discovery 

Co-chairs: Roland Varriale, Argonne National Laboratory

• The group started to brainstorm project ideas to support the third area they are 

addressing, which is to help people that make cybersecurity guidance and 

career decisions understand the career pathways and help them to pass on 

those resources to those who want to pursue a cybersecurity pathway. 

• Roland shared that (ISC)2 sent a workforce development career discovery 

questionnaire. The questionnaire’s purpose was to re-create your cybersecurity 

journey and what steps you took along the way.

• The co-chairs held an internal leadership meeting to map out working group 

goals for the remainder of the year. 

• Next meeting: June 21, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. ET
b. Transform Learning Process

Rodney Petersen, NICE 

• In the month of May, the Transform Learning Process Working Group had a joint 

meeting the K12 Cybersecurity Education Community of Interest. 

• During this meeting, both groups identified a strategic plan objective to support 

teachers and faculty in academia and industry through recognition programs. 

• The group brainstormed creative approaches to help increase the number of 

teachers and faculty in cybersecurity. The group will start a joint project team to 

start on this effort. 

• Next meeting: June 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. ET

c. Modernize Talent Management 

Lynsey Caldwell, Leidos

• In the month of May, the Modernize Talent Management Working Group 

welcomed a guest speaker – Dr. Shane Stailey from Idaho National Lab. 

• Dr. Stailey provided an overview on the Competency Health and Maturity 

Progression Cyber Workforce Assessment (Cyber CHAMP).

• Cyber CHAMP demonstrates ways to improve an organization’s cybersecurity 

programs using the NICE Framework and helps organizations pinpoint exactly 

where to start improving their cybersecurity program using a step-by-step 

process that identifies the current cybersecurity posture, areas for 

improvement, and training paths that lead an organization to higher, 

measurable levels of cyber competency and maturity.

• The meeting recording is available here. 

• At their last Working Group meeting, an update was also provided by the 

‘Guidance on Writing Effective Job Descriptions’ project team.

• The project team held various workshops with hiring managers to try and 

understand what their hiring needs are. There was various feedback on the 

need to create entry-level job opportunities. 

• The project team is accepting feedback on the guide. Email Arianna Schuler 

(arianna@vt.edu) to submit any feedback. 

• Next meeting: June 15, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. ET

V. Community of Interest Updates

a. Apprenticeships in Cybersecurity 

Co-chair: Katie Adams, Safal Partners

• In the month of May, the Apprenticeship Community of Interest welcomed a 

guest speaker - Jessica Randall from Drexel University. 

• Jessica provided an overview of the University’s recently approved 

Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program. 
• There is an additional apprenticeship program being created in another 

Community College in Pennsylvania. 

• The Apprenticeship COI has finished their Community of Interest survey. The 

final topic for their new project is “Surveying industry on cybersecurity 

occupations and current programs for registered apprenticeships”. 

• Kimberly Hauge from the Office of Apprenticeship at the Department of Labor 

will lead this new project. A co-lead to be determined. 

• The Department of Labor recently approved a new national apprenticeship 

program for an organization called “Minorities in Cybersecurity”. 

• Next month's featured speaker will be Chris Rick with the Department of Labor 

Veteran Employment Training Services Division. He will be sharing information

regarding various veteran programs including the Skills Bridge Program. The 

Skills Bridge Program can be used directly as a pre-apprenticeship pathway.

• Next meeting: June 7, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT at the NICE 

Conference in Seattle, WA

b. Cybersecurity Skills Competitions

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

• David Zeichick is commissioner of the National Cyber League. At the NICE 

Conference the NCL will be hosting a dinner. If you are interested reach out to 

David (david@zeichick.com). 

• In the month of May, the Competitions COI welcomed a guest speaker - Dr. 

Justin M. Pelletier from ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, who presented on

the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC). The CPTC is going into its 

8th year and is composed of collegiate teams that are given a real-world

situation to solve. For their 9th year, their theme is airport cybersecurity. 

Students will have access to a real-world scenario at a designated airport. The 

culminating event is a report. Students must create a final report explaining how 

to fix any vulnerabilities they discovered. 

• Last month the group also welcomed guest speaker, Brad from US Cyber Games 

(USCG). The USCG game competition will take place August 1-3, 2023, in La Jolla, 

San Diego, CA. The sign-ups for season three open until June 1, 2023. 

• The community of interest members are creating a site which will list all 

cybersecurity competitions. 

• Next meeting: June 7, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT at the NICE 

Conference in Seattle, WA

c. K12 Cybersecurity Education 

Co-chair: Terrance Campbell, Shelby County Schools

• The K12 Cybersecurity Education Community of Interest and Transform Learning 

Process Working Group are working on a joint project to support teachers and 

faculty in academia and industry through recognition programs. 
• In terms of recognizing faculty, the members categorized the awards by faculty 

in 2-year and 4-year institutions. 

• They plan to recognize faculty through social media, during the Cybersecurity 

Career Week, and/or with a monetary compensation. 

• The group might develop a webpage to recognize faculty. 

• Michigan Tech is holding a GenCyber Camp. Co-chairs are working with 

coordinators to help with post-event activities. 

• Next meeting: June 7, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT at the NICE 

Conference in Seattle, WA

d. NICE Framework Users

Mike Prebil, IT Specialist of the NICE Framework

• The NICE Program has an active request for comments on proposed updates to 

NICE Framework Work Role Categories and Work Roles. Learn more. 

• The updates are intended to bring clarity and consistency to work roles based 

on conversations with subject matter experts. 

• Send comments to NICEFramework@nist.gov no later than June 23, 2023, at 

11:59 p.m. ET. 

• NICE Framework staff are working on finalizing request for comments on 

Competency areas. 

• NICE Framework staff will host a “NICE Framework 101: Getting to know the 

NICE Framework” workshop in Seattle at the NICE Conference. There is still 

space to register for the workshop if you are already a registered conference 

attendee. More information here. 

• The NICE Framework Users Group is dedicated to brainstorm, discuss, and 

troubleshoot around the NICE Framework. 

• To join the NICE Framework Users Group, subscribe by sending an email to 

niceframeworkusers+subscribe@list.nist.gov. 

• In-person meeting: June 7, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT at the NICE 

Conference in Seattle, WA

VI. Project Progress Reports 

a. NICE Conference and Expo (Seattle, Washington) – June 5-7, 2023

Presented by Randy Pestana, Florida International University 

URL: https://niceconference.org/

• Randy looks forward to seeing everyone in Seattle. The conference is happening 

June 5-7, in Seattle, WA. 

• The conference is officially sold out. There is a waitlist for those who are 

interested in attending. If conference organizers receive cancellations, they will 

go based off the waitlist. Email info@niceconference.org to join waitlist.
• If you are registered for the conference, you will have the opportunity to 

register on the spot for the pre-conference workshops. All pre-workshops have 

open seats except for the Gamification Workshop. 

• Pre-conference workshops have an additional cost. 

• Florida International University wants to thank and recognize their partners who

support the NICE Conference. 

• NICE Local Stakeholders Pre-Event recording is now available here. 

• The NICE Conference full agenda is available online and on the Whova App. 

• There will be four NICE Community of Interest meetings during the conference 

on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. 

b. NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference (Phoenix, Arizona) – December 4-5, 2023 

Presented by Amber Lindsay, iKeepSafe

URL: https://www.k12cybersecurityconference.org/

• The conference will be held Dec 4-5, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. 

• This year’s event will be held in Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak. To keep cost 

down, they have reserved rooms at the government prevailing rate and the 

resort fee waived. 

• The call for speakers launched last month and will be open through July 14, 

2023. 

• The planning committee is seeking proposals from all of those who have 

compelling messages from K12 cybersecurity education. 

• Last year’s post-conference survey recommended and showed the need to have

more K12 speakers.

• This year’s conference theme is “Designing K12 learning experiences to build a 

diverse and skilled cybersecurity workforce”. 

• For more information to submit a proposal, visit the conference website. 

• One of the most popular events during the conference is Cyber Signing Day. This 

event highlights high school students who are participating in cybersecurity 

internships or apprenticeships. You can nominate a student here. 

• The planning committee is seeking students for their student panel. The panel 

will be in-person at the conference. They are seeking a middle or high school 

student keynote speaker. Nominate a student by sending an email to 

k12cybercon@ikeepsafe.org. 

• The National School Counselor Association is hosting a School Counselor Panel. 

They will be bringing a panel of school counselors from across the nation. 

• iKeepSafe has sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities available. Learn more. 

• To receive any conference updates, sign up here. 
c. US Cyber Games

Presented by Brad Wolfenden

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

• The Season III kick-off virtual event is happening on Thursday, June 1 from 3-6 

p.m. ET. Registration available here. 

• Opening keynote will be Marian Merritt, Deputy Director of NICE.

• Closing keynote will be Antonio “T” Scurlock, Deputy Chief Learning Officer at 

CISA.

• Athletes would like to be more engage with their competitors therefore they 

have created Cyber Rush Week. During Cyber Rush Week, athletes will have an 

entire week filled with extracurricular activities. 

• Anyone may register to play in the US Cyber Game Open, June 2-12, but only 

athletes ages 16-25 can apply to be considered for Season III, US Cyber Combine 

and eventually the chance to make the Season III, US Cyber Team. The US Cyber 

Combine event is by invite only.

• Draft day is scheduled for Monday, October 16, 2023 as part of Cybersecurity 

Career Week. 

• The International Cybersecurity Championship and Conference will happen on 

August 1-4, 2023, in La Jolla, San Diego, CA. 

VII. Featured Topic 

Grow Your Own (GYO) Educators

Presented by Taylor White, New America

URL: https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/grow-your-own-educators/ 

• New America is a non-profit non-partisan think and action tank in Washington 

DC. 

• The K-12 Education Team uses a research-based and solutions-oriented 

approach grounded in principles of equity, efficiency, quality, and transparency 

to address issues of access and quality in American schools.

• The Center on Education & Labor (CELNA) works to strengthen the link between 

education and economic mobility through the policy domains of education and 

workforce development.

• Teacher preparation in the US is categorized into two categories. First, through

a bachelor’s degree (traditional teacher preparation) and second, through 

alternative certifications. 

• Traditional teacher preparation is 4 to 5-year undergraduate bachelor’s degree 

programs.

• Alternative routes are a faster-track pathway into the profession, usually 

designed for individuals who already have a bachelor’s degree.

• Teaching licenses requirements vary by state. 
• In 2020 there were 636,515 active apprenticeships in the U.S. 

• In January of 2022, Tennessee was the first state to register a teacher 

apprenticeship program with the U.S. Department of Labor. 

• As of March of 2023, there are 16 states with Registered Teacher 

Apprenticeships. 

• Teacher preparation programs have experienced steady declines in enrollment.

• K-12 Teacher Registered Apprenticeship provides individuals with the 

opportunity to get paid-on-the job training while earning a degree at little to no 

cost.

• The Brazosport ISD Teacher Apprenticeship provides the chance to work in the 

classroom and employment while completing their preparation to become a 

certified teacher. The program also provides multiple entrances with scaffolded 

support to enter the teaching profession, also known as on-ramps, which are 

designed to meet people where they are in their college and professional 

journey.

• Teacher residencies are alternative models that provide year-long clinical 

training. 

• Contact information:

• Taylor White (whitet@newamerica.org)

• Amaya Garcia (garciaa@newamerica.org)

VIII. Closing Remarks and Next Meeting Reminder

The next NICE Community Coordinating Council Meeting will be June 28, at 3:30 p.m. ET.