From staff reports
The South Coast Cyber Center will host its second annual South Coast Cyber Summit on March 20 and 21 at downtown Beaufort’s Tabby Place.
“This year’s summit will be another great opportunity to network with colleagues from government, the military, business, and education,” South Coast Cyber Center Chairman Warren Parker said. “And we’ll learn how to nurture the human potential needed to build a cybersecurity ecosystem in the region.”
With the theme “Building Cyber Talent for Our Nation’s Future,” the summit will focus on how to build the talent the country requires to focus on the critical issue of cybersecurity, and build a cybersecurity ecosystem of academia, business, and government.
Last year’s summit was keynoted by Gov. Henry McMaster, who praised the collaborative effort of local and state government along with the private sector, the University of South Carolina Beaufort, Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort Digital Corridor, and the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation to bring cybersecurity business, education, and innovation to the region.
The effort is led by the South Coast Cyber Center, which was established in 2020, to make the Beaufort region a center for cyber business and education.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC1), will kick off the summit on March 20.
Headline speakers this year will include retired Adm. Michael Rogers, the former director of the National Security Agency and first commander of U.S. Cyber Command; Dr. Vahid Majidi, director of the Savannah River National Laboratory; Rob Cheng, founder and CEO of PC Matic; Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence; S.C. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Ashely Teasdel; and Maj. Gen. Lorna Mahlock, deputy director for Combat Support, the National Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Directorate, and the Marine Corps’ first African American female major general; and Barbara Melvin, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority.
Notre Dame University Professor Mitch Kajzer, Gary Kessler, of Fathom5, a maritime cybersecurity firm, and Robert Jones, president of PReSafe Technologies, will also speak.
Brian Shea, who is Gov. McMaster’s Cyber Initiative coordinator, will brief the attendees on the governor’s strategic plan for cybersecurity in the State of South Carolina.
To register for the summit, go to https://www.southcoastcybersummit.com/. Cost is $50 per person.
For further information about the South Coast Cyber Summit, contact Warren Parker at warren.parker@ymail.com.
About the South Coast Cyber Center
We are working to establish a world class center of excellence for cybersecurity and cyber defense education, research, innovation, and business. The South Coast Cyber Center will promote the growth of a vibrant ecosystem leveraging the University of South Carolina Beaufort, Technical College of the Lowcountry, the Beaufort Digital Corridor, the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation, government, and the private sector.
