The 2016 Symantec Government Symposium is coming up on Aug. 30, and its awards program, the Cyber Awards, deadline is quickly approaching–June 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
The Cyber Awards recognize individuals who show excellence and leadership in government cybersecurity through their personal contributions to programs that protect critical data and systems. Nominees go above and beyond each day to do the important work needed to keep government secure.
Winners will be announced at the Symantec Government Symposium at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., during the luncheon program. The symposium features James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Beth Cobert, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, as the keynote speakers.
Cyber Award nominees must be a current employee of a Federal, state, or local branch of government, government agency, or education institution; or a member of U.S. Congress. The awards are split into categories for Federal civilian, Federal defense, state and local/education, and U.S. Congress/Capitol Hill.
Nominees are evaluated on the following: expertise in their field, contribution to cybersecurity programs that protect critical government data and systems, development and use of new strategies/programs that address government cybersecurity challenges, and key metrics and benefits achieved.
The 2015 winners included Gary Galloway, Department of State; Mark Gower, State of Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services; Ronald James King, USDA, National Finance Center; Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I.; Richard Naylor, Defense Security Service; Achim Purdy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Commonwealth of Virginia; and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.
The full list of previous winners:
2014
- Chiyun-Kwei Chiang, Montgomery College/MC Cyber Watch
- Michael Daniel, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator
- Patrick Dowd, NSA
- Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins, DISA
- Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas
- Michael Watson, VITA/Commonwealth Security and Risk Management
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
- Veda Woods, Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board
2012
- Rickey T. Branning, U.S. Postal Service
- Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.
- Kristopher Cox, Sergeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC)/Virginia Community College System
- Cornelia Rogall-Grothe, Federal Republic of Germany
- Gov. Rick Snyder, State of Michigan
- Maj. Gen. Suzanne M. Vautrinot, 24th Air Force
2011
- Dion Herbert, Department of State
- Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas
- Alex Pettit, State of Oklahoma
- Tony Sager, National Security Agency
2010
- Trent Carpenter, State of Michigan
- Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.
- Michael Dent, Fairfax County Government
- Priscilla Guthrie, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University
- Chuck McGann, U.S. Postal Service
- Ron Ross, National Institute of Standards and Technology
