To strengthen cybersecurity in Ohio at the request of Gov. John Kasich, the Ohio National Guard has brought together more than 30 public, private, military and educational organizations to form the Ohio Cyber Collaboration Committee (OC3). The OC3 mission is to provide a collaborative environment to develop a stronger cybersecurity infrastructure and workforce. Among the committee’s goals is to create a cyber range — a virtual environment used for cybersecurity
training and technology development.

“We are creating a unique collaboration to make Ohio a center of cyber excellence and innovation,” said Maj. Gen. Mark E. Bartman, Ohio adjutant general. “It’s important to provide a virtual environment to prepare our youth for careers in the cybersecurity field. The cyber range will enable us to hold competitions and trainings at all levels to include students from kindergarten to college. It will also provide our schools, governments and businesses a space to test cybersecurity infrastructure and software.” OC3 members include representatives from the education and business communities to develop a program to increase the number of students who pursue certificates or degrees in cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity is a growing priority. It makes sense for our universities and community colleges to partner in this endeavor to make our state and country safer from cyber threats,” according to Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor John Carey.

Chaired by Cheri Rice, Ohio Dept of Higher Education, this committee is charged to Improve the training and education of users and students in cybersecurity by:

1. Identifying critically needed skills and developing training and educational paths to provide the needed skilled workers
   in the cybersecurity field.
2. Encouraging interested students and individuals to become involved in and further develop their cybersecurity in both K-12 and in higher education.
3. Training users at all levels in good cyber hygiene and best cybersecurity practices.

Rebekah Michael is an assistant professor in the School of Information Technology at the University of Cincinnati currently serving as the executive director of the Ohio Cyber Range. In addition to teaching and participating in research, she directs K-12 and adult outreach programs to increase interest in cybersecurity and information technology. Before working at UC, she spent over 14 years building software solutions for aerospace and defense manufacturing and healthcare.

This committee was formed to Provide a secure cybersecurity test and training environment, known as a cyber range, to:

1. Conduct cybersecurity exercises and competitions to hone cross organizational incident
   response capabilities and develop future cybersecurity professionals.
2. Research and test industry-standard best practices.
3. Facilitate the evaluation and testing of innovative technologies and processes.
4. Enable a training environment for the current and future cybersecurity workforce, including National Guard personnel,
   state and local government personnel, faculty and students in the education community, and private sector entities.

Mark Beadles is Chief Information Security Officer for OARnet, a member of the Ohio Technology Consortium, a division of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. In addition to his IT security role, Mark leads OARsec, the information security sharing working group for OARnet members. Mark is a member of The Quilt Security Working Group, the Internet2 Security Working Group, and has held leadership roles in the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Prior to OARnet, Mark served in technology leadership positions at private-sector organizations including Sophos, SmartPipes, UUNET and CompuServe, and is inventor of multiple patents in the field of network management. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in computers and society from Michigan State University and is a veteran of the US Army Signal Corps.

In this session we will discuss the exciting possibilities for Ohio in the creation of the Ohio Cyber Reserve – a cyber-focused civilian unit organized under the Ohio Adjutant General’s office. This session will explore the nature, organization and mission of the Ohio Cyber Reserve, current status of the legislation which will form it, and what you can do right now to support these efforts.

Mr. Pardee is a cybersecurity professional with over 30 years of experience in information technology, including experience in software development and networking before transitioning to a pure cybersecurity role. He received his MS in Information Security and Assurance and his CISSP while working full time in a cybersecurity role for the State of Ohio. In addition to his work with OC3, he serves as an adjunct in the cybersecurity program at Columbus State Community College, and has served as a lecturer in cybersecurity in the department of Computer Science Engineering at the Ohio State University. Mr. Pardee became involved in OC3 while serving as Deputy CISO for the State of Ohio, and now serves as a Senior Vulnerability Engineer for the Ohio State University.