United States
Marci McCarthy is a distinguished leader in cybersecurity, strategic communications, and public-private engagement, currently serving as Director of External Engagements for the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the Department of War (DoW). A presidential appointee, she leads strategic communications and engagement with industry, international allies, and key partners—advancing the technology and cyber defense innovation ecosystem in alignment with the DoW CIO’s vision and the Arsenal of Freedom. Previously, McCarthy served as Director of Public Affairs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where she was the agency’s national spokesperson and led media engagement and external communications efforts to support the protection of the nation’s critical infrastructure. Appointed by Donald J. Trump, she played a key role in translating complex cyber and infrastructure risks into clear, actionable messaging for national audiences. Prior to her government service, McCarthy was the Founder, CEO, and President of T.E.N., where she created the premier Information Security Executive® (ISE®) Program Series, connecting and recognizing top cybersecurity leaders across North America. She also served as Principal of M2 Cyber Advisory and as a Board Director for Spirion. A recognized industry and civic leader, McCarthy has received numerous honors, including a Congressional Citation establishing “Marci McCarthy Day” in Georgia. She has served three terms as Chair of the DeKalb Republican Party and as a National Delegate, demonstrating a sustained commitment to leadership and public service. Deeply invested in developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, McCarthy serves on academic advisory boards for the University of Alabama and Georgia State University. She is also the founder of the Marci McCarthy Cybersecurity Certification Scholarship Program, supporting women and minority students and continuing to drive innovation, access, and excellence across the cybersecurity workforce.
The Culverhouse Cyber Executive Board of Advisors’ purpose at The University of Alabama is to utilize the experiences and leadership from seasoned cyber industry executives, including those from information technology and security, to create a successful cyber program within the university. They will advise Culverhouse on the best courses, materials, teachers, degrees and more to utilize within their future teachings. The stated objectives of the board of advisors are to provide input to curriculum design to reflect current and future market realities; provide industry expertise and external support as needed to benefit the university and Culverhouse College of Business programs; promote the professional development of students and faculty; and develop student internship and scholarship opportunities.
The Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group, located in Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, produces empirical evidence and provides systematic reviews of existing empirical research regarding the potential effect of existing cybersecurity policies and tools to help prevent the development and progression of cybercrimes. As an Advisory Board Member: - Provide “wise counsel” on issues raised by the group - Provide unbiased insights and ideas from a third point-of-view - Act as a resource for directors - Provide social networking platform for the group - Impose challenges to directors that could improve the group's performances
Spirion is a company committed to elevating the important role that women and minorities play in technology and cybersecurity. Information security is one of the fastest-growing professions. On the board, I will contribute to furthering Spirion’s mission of protecting the data privacy of individuals as the critical first step in mitigating risk for enterprises around the world. Fellow Board Members include: founders Todd Feinman and David Goldman; CISO for VF Corporation, Ken Athanasiou; Alan Peyrat and John Kish, both from The Riverside Company; and Jennifer Mailander, Deputy General Counsel at Fannie Mae.