Skip to content

Welcome to CyberMaryland

Uniting the Cybersecurity Community of Maryland

ABOUT US

CyberMaryland is a unique community of people who share the same passion- to strengthen the cyber security industry through unity, improved security awareness, helping Marylanders lead safer digital lives.

An all-volunteer Advisory Board, all staunch supporters of cyber security from across the cyber ecosystem, work together to keep the region aligned with its potential.  Advisory Board focuses on education, workforce development, policy, technology, finance, venture capital, government, insurance, legal and virtually every economic issue relating to cyber security.

In addition, this community also provides input on programs such as the Maryland Cyber Challenge, the Cyber Maryland Conference, the Cyber Security Hall of Fame, and the Cyber Maryland Showcase.  A significant focus for this public-private partnership is to increase support and awareness for STEM education, developing the next generation’s cyber security professionals and improving business opportunities for the region.  We are pleased to announce the launch of the Cyber Maryland Education Foundation.  Proceeds from Cyber Maryland activities fund educational opportunities for Maryland students.

While the Epicenter of cyber security sits squarely in the State of Maryland, CyberMaryland’s tentacles and influence extend much farther.  Organizations across Maryland provide services to defend cyber space in general around the globe. Maryland’s “Cyber Industrial Complex” is a rare combination of commercial innovation, excellence in cyber education and government agencies focused on cyber as a core mission.

CyberMaryland participates in the U.S & International IT/ cyber security community as well. Maryland is proud to host delegations from across the country and around the world to share strengths.  These alliances create new opportunities, build new connections, and strengthen existing relationships. CyberMaryland is a charter member of CyberUSA.

Finally, the people of CyberMaryland are its heart and soul. Our volunteers spend countless hours, provide financial support, and are 100% committed to making the CyberMaryland community stronger.

CyberMaryland- nobody does cyber security better.

GET INVOLVED

Join the Community

 Network, gain knowledge, generate new ideas, discover resources, and create new relationships and partnerships of value in cybersecurity

Why Join

 Expand and enhance the resources, relationships, talent, and opportunities to create, operate, and grow your cybersecurity business or organization

Advisory Board

Larry Letow
Advisory Board Chair and Co-Founder
Larry Letow
CyberCX, President

Larry Letow is the President of CyberCX US Region.  As President, Mr. Letow is leading CyberCX’s US expansion as one of the largest global cyber security services companies.   He has worked with many companies in leadership roles over the past 35 years include four companies through exit.

  • Former Executive Vice President of Myriddian, LLC
  • Former Operating Partner, Interprise Partners
  • Former CEO and President of Intelligent ID/OnGuard Systems
  • Former CEO and President of Convergence
  • Speaker on cyber security for Federal News Radio
  • Co-Founder/Co-Chairman for National Cyber Security Hall of Fame
  • Executive Committee for CyberUSA / CyberMaryland
  • State of Maryland Cyber Task Commission
  • Maryland Corridor Person of the Year
  • Howard County Tech Legend
  • Board Member – Board of Visitors, Towson University
  • Chairman of Respite Retreats
David Powell
Conference Chair and Co-Founder
David Powell
FBC, CEO

David Powell is the Chief Executive Officer for the Federal Business Council (FBC). David is the co-founder of CyberUSA. He and his team have developed many cyber initiatives, including The CyberMaryland Advisory Board & Conference, The CyberTexas Conference, The National Cyber Map, The National Cyber Security Hall of Fame and the original Federal Information Assurance Conference. He is currently spearheading multiple initiatives geared to defining and advancing cyber throughout the country. FBC also works extensively within the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense and Civilian Agencies of the United States Government to produce mission-specific training events, exercises, meetings, industry outreach programs, conferences and expositions.

David currently serves as a Board Member or Advisor for:

  • The US Army Cavalry and Armor Association (Fort Benning, GA)
  • The CyberMaryland Advisory Board (Baltimore, MD)
  • CyberUSA Advisory Board (Washington, DC)
  • Cyber Resilience Institute (Colorado Springs, CO)
  • Cyber Threat Intelligence Network (Sedona, AZ)
  • Commission on the Future (Columbia, MD)
  • Howard County General Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Lauren Asghari
Advisory Board
Lauren Asghari
Alderson Loop, Founder and CEO

Lauren Asghari is the Founder and CEO of Alderson Loop, an Information Technology and Creative project staffing and consulting company.  Prior to starting Alderson Loop, Lauren's career and background was focused in the IT staff augmentation industry, holding multiple positions including executive leadership roles.  Lauren is an active member in the community sitting on the Board of Directors for the National Kidney Foundation serving Maryland and Delaware, Advisory Board Member for the Business and Accounting Department at Carroll Community College, member of the Women Presidents Organization, and Baltimore Business Journal Leadership Trust.  Lauren was a recipient of the Women's Leadership Award by CEO Report Magazine, a Baltimore Business Journal 40 under 40 Honoree, and recipient of the Daily Record Leading Women and VIP List accolades.  She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University.  She hosts a podcast "How'd Her Career Get There?" and is married with 2 daughters.

Alderson Loop has repeatedly been named to the Baltimore Business Journal list of fastest growing privately held companies in Baltimore, including earning the #1 ranking. Alderson Loop has been named to the Inc. Magazine's 500 and 5000 list of fastest growing privately held companies in America, as well as a Top Workplace by Baltimore Sun Magazine.

Jeff Morales
Advisory Board
Jeff Morales
Live! Casino Hotel, Vice President for Information Technology
Niky Bihms
Advisory Board
Niky Bihms
Prince George’s County Maryland, Chief Information Security Officer

Jeff Morales is Vice President for Information Technology at Live! Casino Hotel. As Vice President, Morales is a senior technology leader for the casino and is responsible for the entire IT portfolio ranging from digital capabilities, infrastructure, security, and application management across all of Live! Casino Hotel’s areas.

Morales joined Live! Casino Hotel in April 2012 after serving his country in the United States Navy, where he was responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing the day-to-day operations at two different commands. Morales’ formal education includes a bachelor’s degree in information technology. He has over fifteen years of experience in positions of increasing responsibilities focused primarily on technology, innovation, strategy, operations, and leadership. Morales’ responsibilities and experiences have included customer experience; project and portfolio management; information security; network and application management.

Morales is a member of Leadership Anne Arundel and continues to contribute to the communities where he works and resides.

Niky Bihms information technology career spans 30 years of experience across the public and private sectors. In her role, Niky works with all branches and levels of government as the County’s lead expert for Cyber Security matters including, but not limited to, information systems, data, Internet resources, and industrial automation, et al. She drives strategy, planning, technical architecture, monitoring, and compliance. Prior to joining the Prince George’s County OIT Team, Niky most recently served as the Executive Director of Cybersecurity for ManTech International in support of several federal agencies. Over her 30-year career, she has served with several other federal and state agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Virginia Information Technology Agency. Roles included Strategic Advisor, Senior Cyber Security Program Manager, Cybersecurity Program Director and Senior Program Management.

A retired military officer, she served in the United States Army for 20 years as an enlisted soldier and warrant officer working in various capacities that included computer programmer, CISCO academy instructor, satellite communications expert, and Detachment Commander. A decorated combat veteran, Ms. Bihms was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge (CAB) for her time as a convoy commander supporting networks across Baghdad.

Mrs. Bihms holds a Master of Science in Information Assurance from Norwich University and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Trident University. She also holds several certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Project Management Professional.

Chad Harvey
Advisory Board
Chad Harvey
Baltimore Orioles, IT Director

My name is Chad Harvey, and I am the current IT Director for the Baltimore Orioles.  I have been in the technology field since 1996 starting at the helpdesk and within a year worked my way to network administrator at a small college in Missouri.  I have worked in various positions and locations ranging from small and large universities to now two major league baseball teams, the other team were the Houston Astros.  One thing in this field that’s guaranteed is change and I believe managing change for end-users and the organization makes the job exciting and challenging each day.  I have worked with generally small IT shops where you get to be the jack-of-all-trades.  When I worked for the University of Missouri, I was one of six other network infrastructure members and each of our job descriptions was tailored to two or three core systems.  During my tenure I was able to take deep dives into systems and processes that became beneficial going forward in other positions.  Keeping up to date is always a challenge in this world and I believe networking, talking to vendors and reading different technology sites keeps you prepared for what’s going on.

Rick Olesek
Advisory Board
Rick Olesek
Gula Tech Adventures, Senior Director of Strategic Go-To-Market

Rick Olesek is the Senior Director of Strategic Go-To-Market at Gula Tech Adventures, bringing more than twenty years of expertise at building teams, processes, and GTM strategies for early-stage companies. Rick began his cybersecurity career as a NSA network security analyst and has helped numerous startup companies succeed, to include: Network Security Wizards, Red Siren, Tenable, ThreatConnect, CryptoniteNXT, Security ScoreCard, and BlueVoyant. His mission is to work across the GTA investment portfolio to accelerate the success of all the companies.

Douglas Harrison
Advisory Board
Douglas Harrison, PhD
University of Maryland Global Campus, Vice President and Dean of the School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology

Douglas Harrison, PhD, is Vice President and Dean of the School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology at University of Maryland Global Campus – the largest educator of minority students in these fields in the U.S. In addition to his work as dean, he has led the university’s nationally recognized initiative secure the cyberinfrastructure of the teaching, learning and assessment enterprise for online learning. Prior to joining UMGC, Harrison held administrative and faculty appointments at Trinity Washington University, James Madison University, and Florida Gulf Coast University, where he was faculty senate president and a member of the Board of Trustees. His is an advisory board member for Greater Washington Partnership’s CoLab initiative and a member of the board of directors for the International Center for Academic Integrity.

Gregory Von Lehman
Advisory Board
Dr. Gregory Von Lehman
University of Maryland Global Campus, Special Assistant to the President, Cybersecurity, Office of the President

In his role as special assistant to the president for cybersecurity at UMUC, Dr. Gregory von Lehmen staffs the Maryland Cybersecurity Council, a statutory entity for which UMUC is the support agency. He also serves as an advisor to the Cyber Center for Education and Innovation in support of a partnership the university has with the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation.

For the last year, he has participated in an ad hoc working group on cybersecurity issues convened by the Maryland Governor's Office of Homeland Security and engages with other state departments and private groups on cyber issues as the university's representative.

Russell Mosley
Advisory Board
Russell Mosley
CrowdStrike, Principal Security Consultant

Russell Mosley is a Principal Security Consultant at CrowdStrike and former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at two Maryland-based government contractors: TISTA Science and Technology Corporation, and Dynaxys. An accomplished technology leader and trusted advisor, Russell ensures organizations are properly positioned to address their cyber and technology operations risks. With a background in IT infrastructure and operations, Russell has over twenty years of experience building and managing enterprise information security programs. Russell is a member of the Board of Directors for Security BSidesCharm in Baltimore and the defcon Blue Team Village, and a regular speaker and volunteer at other industry events.

Guy Timberlake
Advisory Board
Guy Timberlake
The American Small Business Coalition, Co-Founder & CEO

Guy Timberlake is an industry business leader bringing more than thirty years of service to privately owned, public sector and charitable mission organizations. Considered an energetic and highly reliable problem-solver, he is widely known as “Go-To-Guy” by his friends, clients, and colleagues.

As co-founder, CEO and Chief Visionary of The American Small Business Coalition, established in 2004, Guy and his team have created a much sought-after community of learning and doing for Government Contractors and Federal Agencies. Operating today as GovCon Club, the community brings Industry and Government together to achieve mutual goals and objectives.

Prior to The American Small Business Coalition, Guy was a veteran of Federal Contracting, accumulating knowledge and experience in Operations functions initially, and finding traction in growth roles to include Business Development, Capture Management and Chief Executive. These skills, and his many mentors and guides, contributed to significant contract wins for small business concerns to include upsetting larger incumbents on Full and Open opportunities. He has played a role in supporting Intelligence Community operations during the First Gulf War, Electronic Classrooms for Naval Aviators (F/A-18), more secure facades for U.S. Embassies, telemedicine/teleradiology technology solutions for U.S. Army (Project Seahawk) and more. Since entering the Government Contracting community in 1988, Guy has directly supported the successful capture of more than $80 million in contract and subcontract revenues for U.S. companies, each year.

Guy has served and continues to serve as an operational volunteer or board member for great organizations with impactful missions. This currently includes:

  • American Freedom Foundation, Board of Directors
  • Tower Club of Tysons Corner, Advisory Board of Governors
  • Government Contracting Club, Chairman
  • HUBZone Council/HUBZone Works For America, Board of Directors
  • Soccer Association of Columbia, Coach

His greatest joy comes from being a husband to Margaret, his partner in life and business, and being Dad to their wise beyond years, beautiful daughter.

Linda Wu
Advisory Board
Linda Wu
Howard Community College (HCC), Vice President of Information Technology (VPIT)

Linda Wu is the vice president of information technology (VPIT) at Howard Community College (HCC). In this role, she is responsible for information technology at the college. She has been a member of the HCC staff since 1999; initially holding the position of senior programmer/analyst and then serving for 15 years as director of administrative information systems. She provides the vision to keep HCC’s high-tech environment current for both the academic and business units of the college. Under her leadership, the college’s various information technology areas, including administrative information systems, information security, student computer support, and user and network services, are empowered to provide an environment that is innovative, secure, and supportive of faculty, staff, and student success. In collaboration with the college community, the IT division leads technology initiatives, strategic planning, cybersecurity, innovation, and implementation of technology projects.

During her over 20 years at HCC, Linda has served on numerous committees and cross-functional teams and was the founder of the college’s Friendly Campus initiative. Linda is the vice chair of the Maryland Community College Technology Officers affinity group, serves on the Howard County Chamber of Commerce GovConnects Board, and chairs the GovConnects Engagement Committee. She has presented at numerous conferences including multiple Ellucian conferences and the Community College Futures Assembly hosted by the Bellwether College Consortium, where HCC won the 2020 Bellwether Award for our Cloud Migration. She has also served on several national and statewide committees.

Linda earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from University of Maryland and a Master of Science in forensic science with a focus in information technology from Stevenson University.