Aunshul Rege is an associate professor and director of the CARE Lab at Temple University. Her research has been supported by numerous National Science Foundation grants and focuses on the human, sociological, and psychological aspects of cyberattacks and cybersecurity. Aunshul is also passionate about cybersecurity education and runs free summer social engineering competitions for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as free workshops for educators. She is a proponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in research and education and has generated an "Organizations We Love" (OWL) list, which is an inventory of 286 organizations that strive to make tech and info/cybersecurity opportunities and experiences accessible to everyone. Aunshul currently serves as the research lead for the Social Engineering Community at Def Con. Prior to her academic life, she worked as a software and QA/QC engineer in industry. Aunshul has a BSc and BA in Computer Science and Criminology respectively, a MA in Criminology, a MA in Criminal Justice, and a PhD in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University.

Eric is a US ARMY Military Intelligence Veteran of Bosnia and Kosovo with NATO; Eric Brings over 30 years of Cyber Security & Online Safety Experience across many industry domains including Civilian Government, Department of Defense, International, Financial, and Civilian markets. Where he has supported organizations in strategic direction, program assessments, remediation and monitoring, intelligence services (VIP & High Value individuals), and Security Risk Mitigation and Security Education. Eric’s experience in the cyber security field encompasses the areas of Security Operations, Incident Response, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery, Digital Forensics, Certification and Accreditation, Enterprise Security Architecture, and Security in Mergers & Acquisitions in over 20 Countries. Eric Founded Raices cyber org in 2021, a non-profit foundation to support Hispanics, latinos, Latinas and latinX in the field of Cyber Security. Eric is a sought after speaker on TV and in person, having performed keynote speeches/ webinars and many YouTube Videos and Livestreams

An award-winning systems engineering senior leader with two decades of sales engineering and cybersecurity experience, Staci Hill Okine exemplifies a confident mix of technical acumen, leadership excellence and ability to create elite teams and inclusive culture where people thrive. Staci currently serves as the US Commercial Director of Systems Engineering at Palo Alto Networks. With a strong conviction for investing in people and nurturing tomorrow’s leaders, throughout her career Staci has coached, mentored, sponsored many women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. In her community, Staci volunteers with Ohio Cyber Women introducing young girls to cybersecurity, is a member of the Central Ohio Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), the New Albany Women’s network, and serves on the planning committee of the New Albany African American Parents Network. Staci holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Spelman College and a Master of Science in Telecommunications from the University of Pittsburgh. She was the first Black female systems engineering director at Cisco.

Dane Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Cyber Science Department at the United States Naval Academy. He holds a B.S in Electrical Engineering (USNA '05) and an M.S. in Computer Engineering (NPS '06). He completed a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (Virginia Tech '19) with a focus on analyzing the security of firmware in ARM environments. Dane has worked at the Naval Academy since 2010. Originally an instructor in the Electrical Engineering department, he quickly got involved in teaching and developing courses for the new Cyber additions to the Naval Academy core curriculum. In 2014, he was hired into the new Cyber Science department and charged with helping to create the curriculum and course sequence for the emergent Cyber Operations major. To this end, he has adapted and delivered a course which introduces students to computer architecture and design principles in a hands-on format. Prior to joining the Naval Academy faculty, Dane Brown served as a Submarine Officer in the U.S. Navy responsible for maintenance, personnel, and operations. He still serves as a Naval Reservist to this day and has deployed to U.S. Central Command to work in the Joint Cyber Center in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Dane's expertise lies in problem solving at the lowest levels of computer software, hardware, and networks. He has a passion for information system security to include: Binary Analysis Reverse Engineering Cryptography Privacy and Trust Microprocessors Communications Protocols Signal Processing Biometrics Cyber and STEM Education

Tracy Z. Maleeff, aka @InfoSecSherpa, is a Security Researcher with the Krebs Stamos Group. She previously held the roles of Information Security Analyst at The New York Times Company and a Cyber Analyst for GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to joining the Information Security field, Tracy worked as a librarian in academic, corporate, and law firm libraries. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in addition to undergraduate degrees from both Temple University (magna cum laude) and the Pennsylvania State University. While a member of the Special Libraries Association, Tracy received the Dow Jones Innovate Award, the Wolters Kluwer Law & Business Innovations in Law Librarianship award, and was named a Fellow. Tracy has been featured in the Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice and Tribe of Hackers: Leadership books. She also received the Women in Security Leadership Award from the Information Systems Security Association. Tracy publishes a daily Information Security & Privacy newsletter and maintains an Open Source Intelligence research blog at infosecsherpa.medium.com. She is a native of the Philadelphia area.

Joy Bryan has always had a passion for service and community. She has had the opportunity to volunteer and give back to several organizations dear to her, especially causes that educate and empower children to learn and excel in technology. Joy’s passion for leadership also carried over to her career where she has an extensive background in operations and project management. An Atlanta native, Joy received her Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Clark Atlanta University. Joy is an avid lifelong learner having taken many continuous education courses. More recently she completed the Cybersecurity & Information Security program at Emory University. Joy believes there is always a bright side, and she enjoys living a life full of optimism and black girl magic.

Billy Davidson, Jr. is a Customer Success Manager in the cybersecurity space, and has vast experience in customer support, business development, & relationship building. He is a member of various technology organizations and is a lifelong learner of all things tech. Billy is a huge cloud enthusiast and spends his free time learning the AWS platform to expand his knowledge. Billy currently holds the Security+ & AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certifications and is currently studying for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam. Billy is also an avid record collector, audio engineer, & visual artist.

Tamara van Exel is an experienced cyber security professional in penetration testing, digital forensics and malware analysis. She currently works for Total Fitness 360 as a cyber security specialist. Tamara has over 20 years IT experience and is know as a Jack of all traits because she has experience in different fields in IT and security. She is dedicated in educating as many people as possible about cybersecurity and has a passion for continuous learning in the cybersecurity field. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Computer Science from Troy University in Alabama, and a technical master’s degree in Information Security from Lewis University in Illinois where she also received the highest academic distinction reward. She is currently studying for her CISSP exam. Tamara has the CEH-EC Council certification.

My name is Donita Searcy, I am responsible for onboarding new members and building member-centric programs, processes, and procedures that drive BGH’s business objectives. I have a B.S. in Computer Science, 25+ years of experience in the Information Technology industry, and have fully transitioned to Cybersecurity. I currently work in the U.S. Federal Government space in Information Assurance. I am dedicated to the Mission, Vision, and Values that BGH represents to share knowledge and resources to help black girls and women breakthrough barriers to careers in information security and cybersecurity. Our members are determined and driven which fuels my excitement to assist them with attaining their goals. This is my way of paying it forward and providing the support I wish I had entering Information Technology years ago. To all those considering joining the organization, I say, “Welcome to BGH! How may I be of service?”

Rayella is the Information Security Systems Specialist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Prior to working at CUIMC, Rayella was working as a paralegal in a bankruptcy law firm but she was looking for a more challenging career. Having studied Russian and Slavic studies, Rayella always had an inclination towards security and whilst undergoing her Master’s degree at NYU, found a non-profit that focused on various security threats, cybersecurity being the forefront amongst them and decided to make the switch to cybersecurity.

Emefa (Emma-fa) is an upcoming cybersecurity professional. After spending nearly a decade in the healthcare industry, Emefa pivoted to pursue a new passion—cybersecurity. This pivot has manifested change, growth, and an overall personal transformation. As a member of BlackGirlsHack, Emefa aligns with the vision of increasing diversity and representation in cybersecurity. Emefa’s journey with BlackGirlsHack has been an upward progression: beginning as a Lab Assistant, then promoted to Lab Manager, and now being selected as Director of Information Security. As opportunity never knocks twice, Emefa is always ready to jump into the battle and responsibility of securing the cyberspace.

Shaheera currently works in the cybersecurity space as a cloud security auditor. She holds a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Information Systems and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Cybersecurity at Georgia Tech. In her free time, she manages her blog shaheerakanani.com which provides advice to new folks in the cybersecurity industry and volunteers with several other organizations helping women in cybersecurity and helping the world become a better place. Her passions include reading, baking, dancing, and watching sports.

Makayla Ferrell is a recent graduate from the University of Mary Washington. She graduated summa cum laude with a double major in computer science and mathematics and a minor in cybersecurity. On-campus, Makayla was a member of four honor societies, the Multicultural Leadership Council, and the President’s advisory committee. She also worked as a TA and peer tutor for the computer science and mathematics departments. Currently, she works as a software engineer for the Department of Defense. Makayla holds Security+, CEH, and Pentest+ certifications. Her nonprofit experience includes Brown Girls Code and Black Girls Code, where she holds lead instructor positions. In her free time, Makayla often competes in capture the flag competitions and red team drills. She is very excited to join the Black Girls Hack organization and help others improve their skill set.

Josh Edwards is a Software Engineer and member of the United States Air Force. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering. Josh has experience working for the Marine Corps and the Air Force as well as private companies doing Software Engineering and development. He is Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) certified as well as having certifications in PenTest+ and Linux+. Josh (J3d3y3) is in charge of Friday Night Labs.

Yolande Fransman is a finance professional with expertise in mortgage servicing. She recently earned a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity from George Washington University because she recognized the growing cyber threats affecting the finance sector. She is pursuing risk-mitigation Cybersecurity policy opportunities in mortgage fin-tech but is open to other possibilities as well. Yolande is excited to be an active member of Black Girls Hack!