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CAE Community of Practice Cyber Defense

National Awards and Recognitions

NCAE-C Seal

Initiative Co-Chairs

  • Anne Kohnke - University of Detroit Mercy

  • Yair Levy - Nova Southeastern University 

Initiative Committee Members

  • Stephen Miller - Eastern New Mexico University - Ruidoso Branch Community College (PoS Validation/CAE Peer Reviewer Recognitions)

  • Stephen Troupe - WhatCom Community College (Mentor Awards & PSR Reviewer Recognitions) 

  • Paige Flores - SecureEd/Towson University (CLARK Contributors Recognitions)

CoP-CD National Community Service Awards and Recognitions Initiative

This initiative is aimed at recognizing all of the dedicated individuals around the nation who generously contribute their time and effort to the CAE-CD Community. The initiative co-chairs also solicit yearly the annual top CAE Reviewers and Mentors from the Candidates and Peer Review National Center. The annual National Awards and Recognitions are provided during the CAE in Cybersecurity Annual Symposium.

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The CAE CoP-CD Community provides the following award and recognition categories:

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For the annual CAE-CD National Community Awards and Recognitions, please see the list of awardees. 

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The 2025 CAE CoP-CD Community Service Awards: 

  • Mark Gorak, DoD CIO – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE Community

  • Dr. Diba Hadi, DoD CIO – CAEO – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE Community

  • Matthew Isnor, DoD CIO – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE Community

  • Alice E. Smitley, DoD CIO – CAEO – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE Community

  • Renae Weathers, National Security Agency (NSA) – PMO – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSA

  • Akhirah Padilla, National Security Agency (NSA) – PMO – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSA

  • Rita McCardell Doerr, Ph.D., National Security Agency (NSA) – PMO – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSA

  • Dr. Victor Piotrowski, National Science Foundation (NSF) – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSF

  • Annie Becker, National Security Agency (NSA) – PMO – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSA

  • Angie Painter, National Security Agency (NSA) – PMO – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSA

  • Dee Dee Patterson, National Security Agency (NSA) – For Outstanding Collaboration between the CAE Community and the NSA

  • Stephen Miller, Eastern New Mexico University – Ruidoso – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Stephen Troupe, Whatcom Community College – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Jake Mihevc, Mohawk Valley Community College – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Dr. Sandra Blanke, University of Dallas – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Gretchen Bliss, University of Colorado Colorado Springs – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Dr. Tobi West, Coastline College – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Paige Flores, Towson University – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Dr. Shankar Banik, The Citadel – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Malory Saunders-Gooding, The Citadel – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Dr. Blair Taylor, Towson University – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

  • Dr. Sidd Kaza, Towson University – For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community

 

 

The 2025 CAE CoP-CD Community Service Recognition For Outstanding Contribution to the CAE-CD Community: 

  • Amy Hysell, CSUSB

  • Vanessa Zaldivar, CSUSB

  • Kasandra Adams, CSUSB

  • James D. Ashley III, CSUSB

  • Alexander Hillock, CSUSB

  • Dr. Wei Li, Nova Southeastern University

  • Dr. Xiuwen Liu, Florida State University

  • Dr. Daniel P. Manson, Norwich University

  • Dr. Faisal Kaleem, Metropolitan State University

  • Dr. Tirthankar Ghosh, University of West Florida

  • Anthony Pinto, University of West Florida

  • Dr. Michael Nowatkowski, Augusta University

  • Anna Carlin, Fullerton College

  • Kelli Burgin, Montreat College

  • Dr. Stu Steiner, Eastern Washington University

  • Dr. Diego Tibaquirá, Miami-Dade College

  • Dr. Deanne Cranford-Wesley, North Carolina Central University

  • Stanley M. Kostka, Moraine Valley Community College

  • Dr. Bei-Tseng “Bill” Chu, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

  • Stanley Mierzwa, Kean University

  • Dr. Michael Ramage, Murray State University

  • Haley Crabtree, Terra State Community College

  • Mark Lawrence, New Mexico State University

  • Dr. Deanne Cranford-Wesley, North Carolina Central University

  • Idongesit Mkpong-Ruffin, Florida A&M University

  • Debasis Bhattacharya, University of Hawaii Maui College

  • Michael Burt, Wilmington University & University of Maryland Global Campus

  • Susan Frank, Suffolk County Community College

  • Michael Kelly, Community College of Rhode Island

  • Michael Nizich, New York Institute of Technology

  • Dr. Manghui (Michael) Tu, Purdue University Northwest

  • Dr. Zoe Fowler, Norwich University

  • Dr. Vincent Nestler, CSUSB

  • David Zeichick, California State University – Chico

  • Mandy Reininger, Chemeketa Community College

  • Crystal Dye, Southwest Virginia Community College

  • Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University

  • Dr. Randall Joyce, Murray State University

  • Matthew McCullough, Alexandria Technical and Community College

  • Ed Skoudis, SANS Technology Institute

  • Gary Sparks, Metropolitan Community College

  • Skip Berry, Riverside Community College

  • Terri Johnson Akse, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS)

  • Pam Schmelz, Ivy Tech Community College

  • Rene Tejon, Nova Southeastern University

  • Litany Lineberry, Hinds Community College

  • Luis Alberto Tatis Morales, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico – San Juan

  • Deveshree Nayak, University of Washington

  • Thomas Hill, Montreat College

  • Michael Franz, Towson University

  • Satchit Hedge, Touro University

The 2025 CAE CoP-CD Community Service Recognition For Top CAE-CD Peer Reviewers: 

  • Gary Sparks, Metropolitan Community College

  • Fernando Seminario, Northern Virginia Community College

  • Dr. Nelbert St. Clair, College of Coastal Georgia

  • Kim Muschalek, San Antonio College

  • Michael Burt, Wilmington University & University of Maryland Global Campus

  • Dr. Stanley Mierzwa, Kean University

  • Dr. Ayad Barsoum, St. Mary's University

  • Jim Poarch, Augusta Technical College

  • Dr. Maxim Gorbachevsky, Utica University

  • Dr. Alan Stines, Middle Georgia State University

  • Angela Clark, University of South Alabama

  • Brian Stokes, Northampton Community College

  • Jackie Armstrong, Hill College

  • Dr. Michael Tu, Purdue University Northwest

The 2025 CAE CoP-CD Community Service Recognition For Top CAE-CD Per-Submission Review (PSR) Reviewers: 

  • Michael Burt, Wilmington University & University of Maryland Global Campus

  • Fernando Seminario, Northern Virginia Community College

  • Dr. Nelbert St. Clair, College of Coastal Georgia

  • Brian Hurley, Metropolitan Community College

  • Joseph Murdock, University of Colorado Denver

  • Gretchen Bliss, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

  • Dr. Stanley Mierzwa, Kean University

  • Tony Chen, College of DuPage

  • Mary Wallingford, Anne Arundel Community College

  • Kim Muschalek, San Antonio College

The 2025 CAE CoP-CD Community Service Recognition For Top CAE-CD Mentors: 

  • Michael Burt, Wilmington University & University of Maryland Global Campus

  • Laura Malave, St. Petersburg College

  • Kim Muschalek, San Antonio College

  • Kathleen Czurda-Page, College of Western Idaho

  • Dr. Faisal Kaleem, Metro State University

  • Fernando Seminario, Northern Virginia Community College

  • Brian Hurley, Metropolitan Community College

  • Debbie Wolf, Columbia Basin College

  • Dr. Nelbert St. Clair, College of Coastal Georgia

  • Dr. Stanley Mierzwa, Kean University

The 2025 CAE-CD Top CLARK Contributors Recognition: 

  • Dr. Mathew Heath Van Horn, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

  • Dr. Dipankar Dasgupta, University of Memphis

  • Dr. Myonunggyu Won, University of Memphis

  • Dr. Yuting Zhang, Boston University

  • Dr. Eric Brown, Tennessee Tech

  • Dr. Victor Valgenti, University of Montana

  • Manda Tong, University of Hawaii at Manoa

  • Dr. Casey O’Brien, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Dr. Shengzhi Zhang, Boston University

  • Dr. Suzanne Mello-Stark, Rhode Island College

  • Douglas Tondreau, Johnson and Wales University

  • Dr. Matthew Wright, Rochester Institute of Technology

  • Molly Risley, Tennessee Tech

The 2025 CAE-CD Top CLARK Content Reviewers Recognition: 

  • Greg Brodt, Northwood Technical College

  • Brad Vogt, Northeast Community College

  • Dr. Teresa Macklin, University of California, San Marcos

  • Dr. Joshua Duersch, College of Eastern Idaho

  • Josh Huhmann, Chippewa Valley Technical College

  • Wendy Plourde, Southern Maine Community College

  • Dr. Nikunja Swain, South Carolina State University

  • Dr. Ahmed Al Zaidy, Florida State College at Jacksonville

  • Paul Nguygen, Ohlone College

Updated: August 11, 2025

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