Professionals work to support women in cybersecurity

Sherry Barnes has spent over a decade working in cybersecurity and said the field has changed immensely over that time.

“It’s astounding to think where we’ve come,” said Barnes, who lives in Chelsea. “The digital world has definitely changed the culture of how we operate today.” She notes that there are expected to be 3.5 million jobs in cybersecurity by 2025.

She has worked in information security as a senior risk analyst for EBSCO, Regions and currently at Southern Research where she focuses on compliance initiatives and bridging the gap between IT, cybersecurity requirements and risk.

She also serves as president of the Central Alabama affiliate of Women in CyberSecurity. The affiliate is part of a global organization/nonprofit founded in 2012 and dedicated to bringing together women in cybersecurity to share knowledge, experience, networking and mentoring. The mission of WiCyS is the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in cybersecurity.

“How we [the Central Alabama affiliate] came about was that several of my colleagues were affiliated in other associations locally and we began researching how to bridge the gap between male and female counterparts in cybersecurity and how we could create opportunities for local students and professionals who are interested in getting into or growing in the field,” she said.

In February 2021, the group petitioned to receive permission to establish a Central Alabama affiliate, which hosted its official  launch in June 2021 at Dark Tower. Now with about 40 members, the group partners with a variety of allies and advocates in the Central Alabama region.

“Although we are an organization focusing on women, WiCyS has strong support from our male allies and advocates,” Barnes said.

The affiliate had several events last summer and recently engaged with Deborah Boswell, a communications consultant, and coach, to give a presentation at McLeod Software on U.S. 280. The presentation focused on the hybrid work environment and the need for companies to have well-thought-out communication plans that ensure all employees, whether remote or in-person, feel engaged and heard.

“We are here to cultivate and support the central Alabama community so they have the knowledge WiCyS provides — training, support, mentoring programs, intern programs for professionals, students and veterans,” Barnes said. “We are working toward recruiting more members and providing events which foster career growth that provides the opportunity to reach more participants.”

Being a nonprofit, WiCyS does its own fundraising. They rely on businesses to offer sponsorships and space since they do not have an office.

Serving alongside Barnes on the Central Alabama affiliate leadership team are Angella Carlisle, vice president; Leigh-Anne Hoffman, treasurer; Cassandra Brown, secretary;  Heather McCalley, adviser; Lora Vaughn (social media chair) and Kera Dorsey (website designer/manager).

Barnes said they are working to plan more events. A Springboard Networking and Career event in March offered recruiters from ITAC and Boulo Solutions who provided resume reviews along with tips to assist during the interview process. The group will also participate in the hack-a-thon and innovation challenge for the University of Alabama’s Management Information Systems program.

More information on membership, events and outreach in Central Alabama can be found at wicyscentralal.org as well as globally at wicys.org.