DEF CON
Activities
Year after year, the MCPA facilitates learning for military cyber professionals and others by participating in gatherings held in conjunction with one of the world's largest and most notable hacker conventions, DEF CON, held every summer in Las Vegas.
Due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, 2020's DEF CON was held in "Safe Mode" (virtually). 2020 was also the first year of the DEF CON "Career Hacking Village", and MCPA being asked to lead a panel. We are now back for the 2nd year in a row with a new lineup of panelists. Find info about and recordings of the panels below.
The "National Service Panel: Career Opportunities Supporting the Country" highlights opportunities and challenges with national service, focusing on mostly new tech-related programs and organizations across the government. Since this panel is about sharing knowledge and expertise, it supports both the DEF CON founder's intent and the MCPA mission.
2021
2021 Panelists:
Colonel Teri Williams
Currently serving as Commander of the 91st Cyber Brigade and Cyber Security Advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). LinkedIn.
Amélie Koran
Most recently served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHD) Office of the Inspector General (IG). LinkedIn.
Elizabeth Schweinsberg
Currently serving as Digital Services Expert at the US Digital Service (USDS), based out of Silicon Valley. LinkedIn.
Joe Billingsley
Panel organizer and moderator, Director of Strategic Engagement at the National Defense University's College of Information and Cyberspace, and MCPA Founder. LinkedIn.
2020
2020 Panelists:
Chris Pimlott
Engineer at the US Digital Service. LinkedIn.
Liz Popiak
US Army Cyber Direct Commissioning Program Co-Creator, recently retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, and MCPA Augusta Chapter President. LinkedIn.
John Felker
Assistant Director of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and MCPA Advisor. LinkedIn.
Diane Janosek
Commandant of the National Cryptologic School, Women in Cyber (Mid-Atlantic) President, and MCPA Advisor. LinkedIn.
Roman Vitkovitsky
US Marine Corps Cyber Auxiliary and recently retired Lieutenant Colonel in the USMC. LinkedIn.
Joe Billingsley
Panel organizer and moderator, Director of Strategic Engagement at the National Defense University's College of Information and Cyberspace, and MCPA Founder. LinkedIn.
Additional Resources
Benefits of public sector leaders engaging the hacker community
Find links to other programs or organizations in the panelist listing above
Thanks, Travis!
A special thanks to MCPA member, Colonel Travis Hartman (seen here on the right being presented the Order of Thor medal in 2019 by the MCPA founder at National Defense University in Washington DC). As an organizer of the DEF CON Career Hacking Village, he made this opportunity possible for the MCPA. We appreciate it!
Thanks, DEF CON leaders!
We've had the pleasure of providing a venue for talks between members of the DEF CON leadership and staff, and the military cyber community. This has mostly come in the form of inviting them to provide an interactive presentation in our Lockdown Lunch and Learn (3L) series.