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NICE Community Coordinating Council

Meeting

May 25, 2022 | 3:30-5:00 p.m. ET

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

NICE Program Manager Susana Barraza reviewed the ground rules for the meeting and 

reminded participants that it is not intended for marketing or other commercial purposes.

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

type questions in the Q&A space.

II. Opening Remarks

a. Industry Co-Chair – Jon Brickey, Senior Vice President, Mastercard

• Industry is talking a lot about the talent gap or “great resignation.” Industry is not as 

connected into NICE as government and academia are. Jon has been trying to 

evangelize the NICE Framework with industry associations. Companies are very 

interested in better understanding the supply side and demand side of the 

employment challenge and want to work with government and academia in finding 

solutions. One common theme in the discussions is the human resources piece, 

where there is a significant gap. We need to convince our HR partners that they 

need to be part of the solution. 

b. Government Co-Chair - Rodney Petersen, Director of NICE

• The incoming industry co-chair of the Community Coordinating Council is Bridgett 

Paradise, Chief People and Culture Officer at Tenable 

• The Community College Cyber Summit (3CS) just wrapped up in Dayton, Ohio. 

Historically, NICE has placed a big emphasis on college education, including the 

unique role that community colleges play in the ecosystem as affordable and 

accessible options for all Americans. Community colleges are community-focused, 

work with local employers, and are tightly connected to high schools and other 

colleges. They serve a special role in reaching non-traditional and under-served 

communities, including working parents. They prepare students for many of the 

feeder roles and entry roles in cybersecurity. 

• NICE Lead for Academic Engagement Davina Pruitt-Mentle recently was awarded 

the Pioneer Award, a lifetime achievement recognition for all of her work in this 

field.

• The Office of Personnel Management on May 19 released Skills-Based Hiring 

Guidance, which encourages federal agencies to consider applicants based on their 

capabilities rather than where they acquired them. 

III. Standing Items

a. Report Roundup – Learning from Good Ideas

Re-Imagining Orlando’s Talent Supply- An Orlando Cybersecurity Talent Deep Dive

Presented by Danielle Permenter, Orlando Economic Partnership
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URL: https://news.orlando.org/blog/new-report-dives-deep-into-orlandoscybersecurity-talent-opportunities/

• This report, which is part of the UpSkill Orlando initiative sponsored by JPMorgan 

Chase, is the third report in a series that aims to help employers and higher 

education providers identify tactics to create upward mobility career paths for 

Orlando residents. The practice of identifying talent through a skills-based lens has 

worked well overall for the Orlando community, and the Orlando Economic 

Partnership wanted to take the same approach in focusing on in-demand skillsets, 

including cybersecurity. 

• The first section of the report deals with the need for a common language, the NICE 

Framework, and the importance of improved communication. The third section, 

which deals with tactics for hiring and developing talent, looks at the importance of 

clear job postings and clear communication. The partnership looked to NICE for this 

material because they did not want to reinvent the wheel.

• Why Focus on Cybersecurity?

- 95% of cybersecurity job postings in Orlando require a bachelor’s degree or 

higher, and yet only 33% of the working-age population in Orlando meets this 

requirement.

- The largest feeder occupation for cybersecurity is cybersecurity.

• Major employers in the cybersecurity space in Orlando include AdventHealth,

Lockheed Martin, Deloitte, Disney, Stax, and the State of Florida.

• Case Studies:

- They found confusion and jargon in job postings.

- They tried to translate the jargon into skills-based postings using the NICE 

Framework. Industry-specific jargon and unnecessary qualifications were 

removed, and responsibilities were defined using task statements from the NICE 

Framework. 

- They made recommendations for HR on the number of skills listed. When you 

have more than 8 required skill sets, you automatically eliminate candidates 

because of the intimidation factor.

• Key Items Hindering Career Progression:

- Cost of certifications

- Unclear career path opportunities

- Lack of knowledge about cybersecurity skills within organizations

- Not enough job experience in cybersecurity role

- Cost of formal education to properly prepare for career

• Next Steps:

- Skillful Talent Series-Cybersecurity: May 12 – June 2, 2022

https://www.skillful.com/

- Fourth UpSkill Orlando Report: Summer 2022; reporting outcomes of previous 

Skillful Talent Series workshops. 
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IV. Featured Topic

2022 NICE Conference & Expo (Atlanta, Georgia) – June 6-8, 2022

Presented by Randy Pestana and Paola Hechavarria

URL: https://niceconference.org/

• The conference is officially sold out, with more than 450 attendees registered. They 

wish they could have more attendees, but pandemic-related space restrictions are 

limiting the number this year.

• Covid-related protocol

- The conference is adopting local community standards. 

- At check in, you will select a green, red, or yellow pin to indicate your comfort 

level regarding social distancing. Green means “come on in for a hug.” Yellow 

means “let’s talk at an arm’s length.” Red means, “keep your distance.”

- Overflow room: Attendees can watch the proceedings from another room to be 

more socially distanced. 

- Local test centers will be identified.

- There still may be hotel rooms available.

• The agenda is available online at: www.niceconference.org/agenda

- Pre-Conference Workshop Registration: There is still some availability online, 

and there might be on-site registration depending on availability.

- Keynote Speakers: Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, 15th Director of the 

U.S. National Science Foundation; Renee DiResta, Research Manager, Stanford 

Internet Observatory at Stanford University

- Breakout Sessions: They received more than 200 proposals for 24 speaker slots. 

- Key Sponsors: ThriveDX, WGU; Trend Micro; CompTIA; cyberbit; Purdue 

University; Georgia Cyber Center; Middle Georgia State University; Spelman 

College

- Tech Showcase Sessions: “Fixing the Gaps in the Cyber Workforce” and “What 

Does CyberSeek Data Tell Us about the Challenge and Opportunity Ahead?”

• Whova App: Use this app to network with other attendees, set up meetings, etc.

• The plenary sessions, including keynote sessions, will be live-streamed, but the 

breakout sessions will not be.

• NICE Conference & Expo 2023: June 5-7, 2023

V. Working Group Updates

a. Promote Career Discovery

Co-chairs: Roland Varriale II, Argonne National Laboratory; Jimmy Baker, Arrow 

Electronics; Keith Davis, Koinonia Family Life, Inc. 

• The Working Group is having fantastic discussions and building even more 

enthusiasm. Please contact jimmy.baker@arrow.com for more information or if you 

are interested in joining.

• At the last meeting, they received an update on the Multiple Career Pathways

project. They also talked about visual images for better telling the story of 
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promoting cybersecurity pathways. Finally, they discussed the upcoming NICE K12 

Education Conference and Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week.

• On June 1, they will be meeting to talk with volunteer project team members who 

are helping lead the new Ambassadors Program. 

• Next Working Group meeting: June 15, 2022, 3:30 p.m. ET

b. Transform Learning Process

Co-chairs: Richard Spires, Learning Tree; Dr. Donna Schaeffer, Marymount University

• The Working Group’s two chartered projects are coming to an end soon, and both 

will move into additional phases: 

- Improve the Quality and Availability of Cybersecurity Credentials – Cybersecurity 

is still a relatively young field. The project team has been looking at how to set 

more standardized terminology leveraging the NICE Framework, how to 

determine the quality of various credentials, and how quality can be measured 

for the larger workforce. 

- Incorporating Cybersecurity Into A Public Service Education – NICE is working 

with NASPA to survey what public service programs are doing today around 

cybersecurity education.

• At the NICE Conference, there will be a working group discussion session on 

Wednesday at 1:45 p.m., with a video conference connection.

• Next Working Group Meeting: June 15, 2022, 3 p.m. ET

c. Modernize Talent Management

Co-chair: Lynsey Caldwell, Leidos; Kevin Perry, United States Army

• At the last meeting, guest speakers from LinkedIn presented information on the 

platform. The working group talked about how resources within LinkedIn can be 

leveraged by job seekers and employers. They learned about the trends LinkedIn is 

watching (e.g., remote and hybrid work is here to stay; workers are moving into new 

roles at an accelerated pace; workers feel empowered to demand more out of 

work), the reasons people say work has changed (e.g., work/life balance; 

compensation and benefits; colleagues and culture), the basics of a LinkedIn Profile

(e.g., importance of a picture and a summary with at least 40 words), and how 

recruiters use the platform.

• LinkedIn offers a variety of resources for veterans. A link to these resources wase 

added to the NICE Veterans Resource page: https://www.nist.gov/itl/appliedcybersecurity/nice/resources/veteran-resources

• The two project teams provided updates:

- Cybersecurity Career-Entry Guidance for Employers Project

- Cybersecurity Career-Entry Guidance for Entry Job Seekers Project

• Next Working Group Meeting: June 16, 2022, 1 p.m. ET

VI. Community of Interest (COI) Updates

a. Apprenticeships in Cybersecurity

Co-chairs: Tony Bryan, CyberUp
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• A representative from the Department of Labor now joins the COI’s monthly 

meeting to provide an update on the apprenticeship program.

• The COI recently added an Employer Perspective section to its monthly meeting 

agenda. At the next meeting, PricewaterhouseCoopers will deliver the employer 

perspective.

• Next COI Meeting: June 24, 2022, 11 a.m. ET

b. Cybersecurity Skills Competitions

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

• Next COI Meeting: June 16, 2022, 3:30 p.m. ET

c. K12 Cybersecurity Education

Co-chair: Terrance Campbell, CCTE Cybersecurity Teacher, Shelby County Schools; Laurin

Buchanan, Secure Decisions; Thomas Trevethan, Palo Alto Networks

• Next COI Meeting: June 9, 2022, 3:30 p.m. ET

d. NICE Framework Users

Karen Wetzel, Manager of the NICE Framework

• There will be a pre-conference workshop at the NICE Conference on Using NICE 

Framework Competencies to Build a Better Cybersecurity Workforce. There will also 

be a discussion session for the Framework Users Group on Tuesday, June 7. 

Everyone is encouraged to join, even those who are not part of the group. They will 

be talking about promoting use of the Framework. 

• They are also looking at ways to continue the conversation beyond the conference. 

They are considering monthly open calls addressing new topics each month. If you 

have ideas on how to get people more involved in the community, send them to 

Karen: karen.wetzel@nist.gov

VII. Project Progress Reports

a. NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference – December 5-6, 2022, ST. Louis, MO

Presented by Amber Lindsay, President and CEO, iKeepSafe

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

• Call for Proposals closes June 24: They are looking for timely, topical presentations 

aligned with the conference theme, “Expanding the Gateway to the Cybersecurity 

Workforce of the Future.”

• There will be several formats for speaking, including in-person sessions and preconference workshops as well as virtual pre-recorded on-demand lectures and 

poster sessions.

• Conference Tracks:

- Increasing Cybersecurity Career Awareness

- Engaging Students Where Disciplines Converge

- Stimulating Innovative Cybersecurity Educational Approaches

- Promoting Cybersecurity Career Pathways

- Promoting Cyber Awareness
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• Student Keynote: Arica Willis, a 2022 graduate from Spotsylvania High School in 

Virginia, is a founding member of Spotsylvania Cyber Ops team and a student of 

Kristi Rice. She also founded a day camp for kids, Spotsy Hacks.

• Evening Reception: Monday, December 5 at the TRex Building across from the 

hotel. Local fare for appetizers and drinks will be provided, and local jazz/blues artist 

Gavin M. will provide entertainment.

• They are seeking sponsors and exhibitors. Sponsorships start at $3500. 

• Registration is expected to open in mid-August

• If you have questions, comments, or ideas, email k12cybercon@ikeepsafe.org

b. US Cyber Games

Presented by Bradley Wolfenden, Director, Cyber Sports, Katzcy

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

• Season I is closing as 15 US athletes, coaches, and dignitaries head to Greece to 

compete in the International Cybersecurity Competition June 14-17. There will be 

nine teams participating from around the world.

• The Season I annual report is being prepared.

• The Season I coaching team will be presenting at the NICE Conference on Tuesday, 

June 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET.

• Season II is about to get underway: 

- Apply to be a coach: Application period is open through June 3.

- Apply to compete: Registration is open through July 4.

- US Cyber Open begins June 30 and closes July 10.

- There are many sponsorship opportunities.

• Contact Brad if you have any questions: wolfendenb@katzcy.com

VIII. Standing Items Cont.

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

NICE Framework and SFIA Framework Mapping

Presented by Ian Seward, General Manager, SFIA Foundation

URL: https://sfia-online.org/en/tools-and-resources/sfia-views/sfia-view-informationcyber-security/mapping-nice-work-roles-to-sfia-skills

• SFIA defines the skills and competencies required by professionals who design, 

develop, implement, manage and protect the data and technology that power the 

digital world. 

• SFIA Skills and Competency Framework was first published in 2000 and is updated 

every 3 years.

• SFIA is driven by industry, but universities are also looking to it to increase 

employability of their graduates. The most common use of SFIA is to define the roles 

within an organization. It provides a common language to talk about those topics, 

and it has been used by techies for a long time. 
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• There are 7 levels of responsibility, which are described with 5 generic attributes 

(autonomy, influence, complexity, business skills and behaviors, knowledge), and 

121 skills or competencies.

• They have been interested in security since 2000. In the current release, there are 9 

explicit security skills and 41 other skills that contain security elements.

• They link to 57 bodies of knowledge, including the NICE Framework. (Bodies of 

knowledge also include things like CyBOK and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

(CSF).)

• SFIA Cybersecurity View 

- Mapping of SFIA skills to NICE work roles 

- SFIA mapping to the NIST CSF

• SFIA Skills for NICE Work Roles

- They are mapping 8 skills to NICE work roles. They indicate the SFIA skills that 

are most relevant to the work roles by category, specialty area, and work role.

- Link to the mappings page of the SFIA site: https://sfia-online.org/en/tools-andresources/sfia-views/sfia-view-information-cyber-security/mapping-sfia-withsecurity-frameworks

• SFIA and the British Computer Society are two separate organizations, but they have 

a strong relationship. 

IX. Closing Remarks and Next Meeting Reminder

The next NICE Council Meeting will be June 22, 2022 at 3:30 p.m. ET.