UAlbany School of Business Announces First Cybersecurity Advisory Board

Cybersecurity professionals from the Capital Region are joining forces with the University to offer strategic guidance, networking opportunities and research partnerships.

The board will offer strategic guidance on curricula, networking opportunities for students, and research collaborations.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 20, 2018) – Cybersecurity professionals from the Capital Region are joining faculty from the UAlbany School of Business to form the University’s first Cybersecurity Advisory Board.

The board will support the initiatives of two School of Business grants. A $583,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and a $197,000 grant from National Institute of Science and Technology will support cyber innovation and economic development, as well as streamline educational programs in cyber security to match the needs of the regional industry, according to Sanjay Goel, the board's chair.

“The board was created to build an ecosystem whereby we can create a pipeline for students to local businesses and, at the same time, get engaged with research projects year-round with cybersecurity firms in the region,” said Goel, who is also a business professor and director of the digital forensics program at UAlbany.

He said the board, comprising 13 members, will seek to advance the school’s information security and digital forensics program through strategic guidance, networking opportunities for students, and research collaborations.

Other UAlbany faculty on the board include Martin Manjak, UAlbany’s chief information security officer and Simeon Ananou, UAlbany’s vice president for ITS, New York State Chief Information Security Officer Deborah Snyder of the New York State Office of Information Technology Services, and Bernard Hillengas, Esq., vice president of business solutions for Rational Enterprise.

In addition to providing feedback and advice for the schools’ curricula, another goal of the board is to increase internship and job opportunities for students, according to Goel.

“We’re always looking for places where students could get internships, for both current undergraduates and for those who are about to graduate,” he said.

Goel said that any cybersecurity professionals from local industry who are interested in getting involved are welcome.

“We are constantly expanding our board and looking for new firms to collaborate with us,” he said. “As long as they are willing to support the board’s charter, we are very accepting of new members.”

Full List of Board Members:

• Sanjay Goel, chair
• George Hickman, Albany Medical Center
• Joel Ryba, XchangeWorx, Inc.
• Deborah Snyder, NYS Office of Information Technology Services
• Bernard Hillengas, Rational Enterprise
• Reg Harnish, GreyCastle Security
• Martin Manjak, Information Technology Services, UAlbany
• Matt Ammerman, Apprenda
• Steven Spano, Center for Internet Security
• Simeon Ananou, Information Technology Services, UAlbany
• Brian DePersiis, Ernst & Young LLP
• Rob Zeglen, New York State Technology Enterprise Corporation (NYSTEC)
• Teresa Zielinski, GE Power

The School of Business has rapidly expanded its educational foot print in cyber security and digital forensics. It was among the first in the nation to introduce a B.S. in Digital Forensics, and offers an MBA concentration in cyber security and a 15-credit graduate certificate in information security.

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