CSIA Alumni & Upcoming Events

The 9th Annual Physical Cyber Convergence Forum Phoenix 2025 is a great opportunity for you to attend the conference free in person, connect with industry, hear what industry and "leaders from the corporate, infosec and third-party communities to improve operational efficiency and collaboration. Attend to learn from leading experts and make lasting business partnerships."
The MSS Network is a division of CTG Intelligence and has produced MSSP, MSP and CISO focused conferences both in person and virtually since 2015 focused on North America and EMEA. Our goal is to secure the Channel and create an effective bridge between MSSP and MSP capabilities for customer success. We primarily achieve this through conferences and events with additional reports and content. We are built to be vendor agnostic.

A pre-conference MSS Forum Afternoon hosted by PhoenixNap at the PhoenixNap HQ.

As a graduate student in cybersecurity, you have a great opportunity to attend the conference for free and connect with industry members and meet your peers!

Hear from esteemed speakers while gaining up to 10 CPE credits. Immerse yourself in the latest cybersecurity developments to gain valuable insights in today’s dynamic threat landscape. Learn how to effectively manage risk, demo the newest technologies from an array of different sponsors, and network with your local community. Don’t miss our special ceremony recognizing our honorary attendees receiving an Award of Excellence! Events brings high-level Cyber Security Training to C-suite executives and CISOs (chief information security officers). Join us for a day with multiple illuminating presentations and a panel discussion featuring C- level executives who have effectively mitigated the risk of Cyber Attacks, demo the newest technology, and discover the cutting-edge security approaches to prepare you for the future of the Cyber World.

Venue: Thursday, August 21, 2025, Hilton Salt Lake City Center Parking/Directions Hybrid

SAINTCON is the annual cyber-security conference presented by the Utah Security Advisory and Incident Network Team (“UtahSAINT”). “This event is an IT and Cyber-Security Professionals conference with a hard focus on cyber-security topics. Most people come to listen to the Presentations and Trainings, but year by year we continue to bring more and more elements into the conference. While the presentations are great, we provide a rich experience that allows attendees to focus on things that interest them the most. Games and Contests are a major part of SAINTCON.

In order to receive a free ticket we are asking for 3 hours of your time to assist/volunteer us at our table with Dr. Kesar with her team. This can be a great opportunity for you to network, showcase your experience about the program as well as meet your peers and Dr. Kesar in person. Please complete the conference registration which include details about volunteering.

Note: Although we request only 3 hours TOTAL During the whole conference (October 21-24th) you are welcome to volunteer more (from 10am to 3pm).

Venue: October 21-24, 2025, Utah Valley Convention Center

My name is Trevor Newey. I was born and raised in the Ogden area. In 2014 I graduated from Weber High school, and soon after served a mission in El Salvador for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After returning home, I pursued a bachelor’s in computer science from Weber State University, from where I graduated in 2019. Hearing there was a lot of cyber security need I decided to pursue a Masters in Cyber Security from Southern Utah University and graduated in the Fall of 2021. During my time at SUU, I was lucky enough to work with Dr. Kesar on a Capstone project regarding educating elementary age kids on phishing. Near the end of the capstone project, I was able to present at the NICE K-12 Cyber Security Conference.

The past several years I have been able to work for the Air Force, and am currently on a software development team with some roles pertaining to IT and Cybersecurity.

As much as I enjoy technology, and continuously learning I’ve found it important to maintain a good work life balance, and to take some breaks from the computer screen. When not working, I can usually be found with my wife and kids, or other family members. I have come to enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, and just about anything in the outdoors.

Q: Why did you choose the MS-CSIA program?
A: I chose SUU's MS-CSIA program because I recognized the demand for cyber security experts not only in the United States but globally. Additionally, SUU's faculty, staff, and students create a great atmosphere for learning.
Q: How has the program helped you?
A: The MS-CSIA program has helped me develop my professional resume as well as prepare me for the workforce. Furthermore, the MS-CSIA program has provided me opportunities to attend numerous cyber security webinars and activities.

Q: Why did you choose the MS-CSIA program?

A: I chose to start the cyber security program primarily for two reasons. First, I just love to learn and wanted to continue to learn in a different environment and with more guidance and coaching than we tend to get on our own. Anyone in this field understands the need for constant learning, but I began to think that i'd fallen into some ruts in my learning, relying too much on the same voices, the same perspectives and sources. I decided that I wanted to force myself out of those ruts, out of my comfort zones. I wanted new ideas, new perspectives, new tools, and different ways of thinking. Second, I wanted to be more competitive for the most competitive roles in the security world. My resume was pretty solid, but my education was pretty average. I decided that if I really wanted to be able to compete with the strongest candidates for the most desirable jobs, I needed more education. Once I'd made the decision to pursue that, I decided on SUU quickly. My experience at SUU for my undergraduate work was very good, and that played a role. The bigger part, though, was meeting you, talking with you, and deciding that yours was the program I wanted to join. You impressed me very much with your commitment to a program that would remain current, one for which you had so much passion and displayed so much energy. I believed, and still believe, in your dream and in your ability to follow through and turn that dream into a great program and a great education. For me, the personal connection and the belief in your vision were critical. You modeled the passion and the personal touch that were important to me, and I think those were the key differentiators.

Q: How has the MS-CSIA program helped you?

A: My time in the program taught me many things and gave me the opportunity to grow in many ways. First, the key items I mentioned before -- different ideas, different tools and different perspectives allow me to look at challenges in new ways. They enable me to be a better critical thinker, as I can look at a problem in ways that weren't my defaults. The technical parts, the nuts and bolts, those are all nice, but the REAL improvements for me came from the people parts of my education, from interacting with the faculty and with the students who are different from me. It was fascinating to me to talk to students who grew up at different times, or in different places, or just had completely different life experiences than mine. I believe this all helps me to be a better student, a better critical thinker, and a better leader. I expect the degree itself to help me with those very desirable roles, but for me, the process and the things that led to the degree are the ones that I think will really help me become a better person. Thank you very much, to you and all of your colleagues in the program, for all you've given to me and my fellow students. I don't know that I can describe the effect you've had in all of our lives, and there's no telling what your body of students will do, but it's clear that your efforts and your dedication are influencing a whole generation of humans who will have the opportunity to go out and try to expand that and touch more. It's interesting to think of the potential reach of the ripples from the stone you've thrown in the water, but it's clear that those ripples are still expanding and will for a long time. It's exciting to think about what they might do.

Q: Why did you choose the MS-CSIA program?

A: I chose this great program because it is the future of technology in this 21st Century. The world is experiencing direct threat to confidential data companies need. I see the great need to protect confidential information as a pressing concern at the highest levels of government and industry. Now days, State secrets can be stolen from the other side of the world. Companies, whose whole business models depend on control of customers data, can find their databases compromised. We saw one high-profile 2017 case whereby personal information for 147.9 million people which is about half the United States was compromised in credit breach reporting company, Equifax. 

Q: How has the MS-CSIA program helped you?

A: MS-CIA program has opened better employment opportunity for me with Tanner LLC, one of the best Accounting Firms in the world. I'm able to apply the knowledge and skills from this program to my job. I'm making a big and positive impact on my job as an IT-Security Auditor. Also, this program has provided me with endless opportunities to develop skills and a mindset that empowers me in my career to protect information assets and managing organizational risks for my employer.  I'm forever grateful for making a wise decision to get my MS-CSIA education from this great University. 

Bret is currently Chief Security Strategist at Afero. His past work experience includes CTO of Emerging Technologies for Broadcom and various CTO leadership positions at Symantec, Blue Coat Systems, and Solera Networks.

His current research projects include threat intelligence, IoT and the hyper-connected edge, automated and collaborative cyber security playbooks, and the impacts of upcoming technology on cyber security, privacy, and society. 

He has extensive experience collaborating with government agencies, critical infrastructure, industry thought leaders, and academic researchers from around the world to drive creative new ideas, technologies, and solutions that can have material impact on protecting systems and data crucial to our way of life.

Bret has over 30 years of experience and held many leadership roles in large global enterprise companies, startups, non-profits, and academic institutions. He started his career as Director of Networking at the University of Utah where he helped design and implement the first wide-scale 802.1X network with distributed authentication which later formed the basis of EduRoam. He has also led several international standards including STIX, TAXII, CACAO, and OpenC2 and has presented numerous times at RSA, ISC2 Security Congress, FS-ISAC, ITU, FIRST, ETSI TC-Cyber, and ENISA conferences. He enjoys working on hard problems and helping design solutions that can change the world.

In 2022 he graduated from the MS-CSIA program at SUU.

I graduated with my Master’s in Cybersecurity in December 2022. I started out majoring in health education wanting to teach health and nutrition to high schoolers. Towards the end of that program, I realized this was not what I wanted to do professionally. I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life: I had always had a fascination with computers and video games and then I decided that’s the path I wanted to pursue. I ended up going to the technical college for development and started working full-time as a software engineer. While working as a software engineer, I realized the lack of talent with the cybersecurity industry and wanted to help fill that gap. That is when I found the CSIA program at SUU.

Everyone in the program was incredibly helpful and encouraging even when midway through my second to last semester I found out I was expecting. Fast-forward to today, I am still working as a software engineer and applying my knowledge of cybersecurity to my company. In my free time, I continue to learn more about cybersecurity and am pursuing different cybersecurity certificates. Recently, I completed the Google Cybersecurity Certification. My advice to anyone starting out in the program is don’t give up and go for it. I have connected with so many people during this program: you absolutely do not need to know programming or have a lot of technical knowledge to be successful in the program, so don’t be intimidated!

LinkedIn Profile

Upon completing the Cyber Security and Information Assurance program through SUU, I discovered that it presented both challenges and significant rewards. Not only did the program give me a comprehensive understanding of cyber security, but it also helped me in my professional development. As I neared graduation, I decided to explore potential Cyber Security positions within my current company. To my astonishment, an opening for my ideal role emerged. Despite my apprehensions with my limited experience, my pursuit of a master's degree played a pivotal role in securing a position as a vulnerability analyst and penetration tester.

I received my bachelor’s degree from Dixie State University (now Utah Tech) in Spring 2012 in Business Administration. At the time, I owned my own computer retail store, and I had comprehensive knowledge regarding computers, but lacked knowledge in business. My undergraduate degree was beneficial at the time in understanding management, investing, and marketing.

Today, I find myself eagerly looking forward to each day at work. It is immensely rewarding to see the impact of my work in the cyber security field. The sense of fulfillment I experience comes from the hard work I invested in my education and personal growth.

I am Julissa, I live in Tooele and I did this program as it was the most convenient from where I live and my lifestyle. I graduated from SUU in 2022, and since then I have obtained a job from the Department of Government Operations (Utah), Division of Technology Services as an Information Security Analyst. All of the aspects that I had the pleasure of learning completely set me up with the proper tools for the workforce I aspired to. Through the program, I have been able to expand my knowledge with current technologies and I know this career has forever growing branches as technology emerges.

I have had the opportunity to collaborate with amazing students and kept in touch with a few of my colleagues from my graduating class and am impressed with what we all have done. I know not many pursue employment within their degree, but I am glad to say that this program really sets you up for success.

Q. Why did you choose the MS-CSIA program? 

I have always been interested in computers and advancements in technology. As a Software Engineer, I have encountered many different security threats and worked to reduce vulnerabilities in the applications that I've worked on. I realized that I really enjoyed that part of my job. I wanted to spend more time focusing on these threats and possibly move into a cyber security career field. However, I lacked a broader understanding of these threats as well as lacked a true understanding of the cyber security field. I chose the MS-CSIA program because it allowed me to pursue this passion. I was impressed by the classes that it entailed and I also liked the online structure which gave me the opportunity to take these courses from home. However, the one thing that impressed me the most was my mandatory meeting with the director of the MS-CSIA program at SUU, Dr. Kaser. I was impressed by her passion about this program, as well as her desire to help her students learn and succeed. It helped turn my cautious interest in the program to actual excitement. I'm so glad that I followed through and joined this program.

Q. How has the MS-CSIA program helped you?

Although I still have several courses to take before I will graduate from the MS-CSIA program, I have already seen a lot of benefits from taking this course. I have a whole different perspective of the cybersecurity threats that we face everyday. This program has helped me understand vulnerabilities and how to avoid falling victim to potential threats. I have also been able to analyze current security procedures and find areas that can be improved upon. Finally, this has made me more valuable in my current job and has also opened up a whole new world of possibilities. My current company is offering new opportunities for me to try and I have received several offers from potential employers as well. I'm so excited that the choice to go back to school and pursue this passion is already giving so many new opportunities.

Q: Why did you choose the MS-CSIA program?

A: After finishing my Bachelors in Computer Science, I was trying to decide on what I would focus on for my Masters. As a person who tries to keep up on what is happening in the world, I noticed an alarming pattern emerging with regards to cyber breaches and decided to do some research on Cybersecurity. What I found was alarming and intriguing at the same time. First, I discovered the rate in which Cybersecurity threats were increasing year over year at an alarming rate. This is and will continue to affect millions of people in a crippling way. Secondly, Cybersecurity has become a fast-growing career field due to the increase in cyber threats, and currently presents the largest growth potential. Opportunity is there for professionals willing to challenge themselves to take it and with the seemingly endless variety of technologies to work on, boring is not a word you’ll be using while working in this field.

Q: How has the MS-CSIA program helped you?

A: The MS-CSIA program at SUU has helped me in a variety of ways and expanded my knowledge of many different areas. Areas such as network and digital forensics and analysis, compliance, program management and more. This program has expanded my knowledge of technical fields that provide you with the tools and skills to become a great Cybersecurity expert. The program has also provided me with the knowledge that the learning never stops and to become a great Cybersecurity expert, you must continuously learn and grow with new technologies and trends. This program has given me the opportunity to grow in my job and acquire a new position at work dealing directly with Cybersecurity concerns with our Nation's defense. I’m excited to keep learning and growing in this field and my career.

Q: Why did you choose the MS-CSIA program?

A: I chose to pursue a Master’s in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance because I want to pursue a career that makes a difference. Cybercrime is rising rapidly, and although cybersecurity is in high demand, there is a shortage of professionals to implement it. I love the idea of using problem-solving and critical thinking to address the world’s most pressing issues and to protect our nation’s assets. Southern Utah University’s program stood out to me, because of its robust curriculum, flexible learning environment, and proactive faculty/staff. Moreover, I really appreciated Dr. Kesar’s initiatives to recruit and advance women in cybersecurity.

Q: How has the MS-CSIA program helped you?

A: The MS-CSIA program at Southern Utah has really changed my life. I absolutely love the courses, my fellow cohort members, and the faculty/staff. Everyone involved in the program is passionate about cybersecurity and eager to learn. It makes every day in the program exciting and has allowed me to learn so much more than I would have otherwise. The program also is very application-based, so everything we learn is applied to real-world issues. This has allowed me to take complex concepts and relate them to my daily life. I am eager to progress in the program and pursue more opportunities in cybersecurity and information assurance so I can really make a difference in the world.

Ayo is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 18 years of experience spanning technology governance, risk management, compliance, threats & risk assessment, cloud security and security architecture assessment. With deep expertise across sectors including energy, financial services, consulting, and critical infrastructure, Ayo excels in translating complex security requirements into practical, business-aligned solutions. Throughout his career, Ayo has led enterprise-level cybersecurity assessments, vulnerability management programs, and security architecture reviews, leveraging frameworks such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, IEC 62443, CIS Top 18, and SOC 2. His experience encompasses designing and operationalizing cybersecurity controls, conducting security assurance activities, guiding stakeholders through secure solution deployment, and supporting zero trust architecture implementations. Ayo holds certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCSP, CSSLP, PMP and is committed to ongoing professional development, with interests in emerging fields such as AI security, DevSecOps, IoT, automotive security and advanced OT cybersecurity. Passionate about mentorship and industry advancement, he regularly contributes to knowledge-sharing initiatives and support the growth of cybersecurity professionals.

Completing my Master of Science in Cybersecurity with Information Assurance at Southern Utah University has been a transformative experience, both professionally and personally. Through the program, I gained: Deep Technical Knowledge: I built advanced expertise in areas such as network security, threat analysis, cyber threat intelligence, risk management, cloud security, and secure system design principles. The coursework provided me with practical skills and theoretical foundations crucial for tackling modern cybersecurity challenges. Some of the courses and labs were hands-on, simulating real-world scenarios. I also learned Critical Thinking and Research Abilities allowing me to explore emerging topics in cybersecurity and contribute original insights. This helped me develop a structured approach to investigating cybersecurity trends, evaluating solutions, and making data-driven decisions. Professional Communication including writing technical reports, delivering presentations, and collaborating with my fellow students improved my ability to communicate complex cybersecurity concepts to diverse audiences, including non-technical stakeholders. I also was able to network and connect with knowledgeable professors and peers from diverse professional backgrounds, expanding my network and gaining valuable perspectives from across industries.

My background is in language translation and interpretation. I have worked as a medical interpreter and translated content for different organizations, internationally and locally. I've translated software, video games, legal and medical.

From the MS-CSIA program at SUU, I was able to understand the importance of cybersecurity in everyday life. From a personal user perspective and an organizational/business perspective. I learned that cybersecurity is a broad field that's composed of many different pieces, but in the end, the goal is the same, to protect digital assets and stay on top of new technological trends. I'm grateful for my experience in the MS-CSIA program and looking forward to learning more and applying it in my professional career.

Hello, my name is Ashley Ramos. I am from Southern California, I am deeply passionate about raising awareness, in cybersecurity and working with technology. I find purpose in helping students grow and succeed, sharing my knowledge and experience with those, just starting their journey. Every day, I face the challenges of living with the chronic illness in disability, but I refuse to let that stop me. Persistence, passion, and a commitment to make a difference or at the core of everything I do.

The MS-CSIA helped me to gain knowledge, critically think about cybersecurity with real world cases. It has helped me to purpose my passion about raising awareness about cybersecurity in different contexts. I also have been able to connect with my peers and build my own community in this field.