(ISC)2 Announces 2013 U.S. Government Information Security Leadership Award Finalists

PRESS RELEASE

Clearwater, FL., U.S.A., September 18, 2013 - (ISC)²® ("ISC-squared"), the world's largest information security professional body and administrators of the CISSP®, today announced the finalists for its 10th annual U.S. Government Information Security Leadership Awards (GISLA®) program.

Sponsored by (ISC)2's U.S. Government Advisory Board for Cyber Security (GABCS), the GISLA program was established in 2004 to spotlight federal information security leaders who are modeling excellence and achieving clear results as they help to build a more secure federal IT infrastructure and a highly qualified and ethical information security workforce. Awards are given to individuals or teams in five categories.

"The accomplishments of this year's GISLA finalists demonstrate the exceptional skill and commitment to excellence that is required to stay one step ahead in this increasingly complex security environment," said W. Hord Tipton, CISSP, executive director of (ISC)2 and former CIO of the U.S. Department of the Interior. "It is an honor to have witnessed the evolution of federal security leaders over the past decade and to see how the GISLAs are inspiring each recipient to further their commitment to this very important field."

The 2013 GISLA finalists are as follows:

Category: Community Awareness

· Team led by Chuck Mader, RIAM program manager (acting), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Initiative: ICE Social Engineer Training (ISET) at the DHS/Immigration and Customs Enforcement

· Team led by Wendy Huskey, CISSP, Security+, FITSI-M, deputy information assurance program manager, HQ Army Materiel Command

Initiative: Task Force Cyber

Category: Federal Contractor

· Team led by David Ratnaraj, PMP, program manager, Advanced Information Services Inc.

Initiative: Registration, Compliance, and Verification Legacy Systems Modernization

· Darnell Washington, president/CEO, SecureXperts, Inc.

Initiative: Multi-Factor Authentication to Federated Secure Cloud Ecosystems

Category: Process/Policy Improvement

· Team led by Roger Seeholzer, CISSP, Network+, A+, Security+, security architect, DHS Headquarters

Initiative: Digital Government Strategy Milestone 9, Promote the Safe and Secure Adoption of New Technologies

· Michael Leking, CISM, CISSP, PMP, cyber security advisor, Region I, DHS

Initiative: Cyber Security Advisor Initiative

Category: Technology Improvement

· Team led by James Steven, COTR, associate chief information officer, National Information Technology Center (NITC), OCIO, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Initiative: USDA NITC Cloud Service Provider FedRAMP Certification

· Team led by Lee Kelly, CISSP, acting director, TISS, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Initiative: CSIRC Program

Category: Workforce Improvement

· Major General Earl Matthews, CISSP, director, Cyberspace Operations, U.S. Air Force (USAF)

Initiative: USAF Cyberspace Workforce Development

Each year, a judging committee of senior information security experts from (ISC)²'s GABCS and industry reviews the nominees and recommends finalists based upon selection criteria and eligibility requirements. (ISC)² officials and sponsors will announce and honor the 2013 GISLA recipients on October 29, 2013, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. Hon. Phillip J. Bond, former under secretary for technology, U.S. Department of Commerce is confirmed to deliver the keynote speech.