The University of West Florida announces retired Navy Capt. Susan K. Cerovsky as Director of the Center for Cybersecurity, effective March 16, 2015. Cerovsky joins UWF nearly 30 years as an officer in the United States Navy, and most recently held the title of commanding officer of the Center for Information Dominance (CID) at Corry Station in Pensacola, Florida.
As director of the UWF Center for Cybersecurity, Cerovsky will develop and enhance multi-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs, research activities and regional and national industry partnerships. She will ensure that UWF is a preferred partner in Cybersecurity research, workforce education and professional training across Northwest Florida and the Central Gulf Coast region.
âI am honored to join UWF and to have this opportunity to help prepare the next generation of leaders who will protect the U.S. against cyber attacks,â Cerovsky said. âDefending the United States against such attacks requires highly trained specialists who can design secure computing systems, wire secure computer code and create new tools to protect, detect and recover from malicious acts. The need is now, and the stakes are high.â
As commanding officer for the CID, Cerovsky served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Intelligence, cyber, cryptology, information warfare and information technology technical training for the U.S. Navy Information Dominance Corps and associated communities. She commanded a multi-million dollar global enterprise with more than 1,300 worldwide assigned personnel directly supporting 25,000 students annually across 22 geographically dispersed training sites and more than 232 cumulative courses. Under Cerovskyâs leadership, CID was awarded the training excellence and retention awards for operation excellence, readiness and efficiency for maintaining superior mission levels across the board.
Cerovsky has collaborated with agencies such as the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to create cybersecurity and cyberwarfare solutions. These efforts sustained and improved relationships between the agencies and Department of Navy staff. Additionally, she developed strategic communication programs to increase transparency by offering interviews to technical magazines and newspapers, and being the keynote speaker at many events. Cerovsky has earned numerous military awards and decorations and is published in a variety of publications and professional papers concerning cybersecurity and cyberwarfare.
Cerovsky earned a bachelorâs degree in geology from the University of South Alabama and a masterâs degree in information technology management with a concentration on innovation, artificial intelligence, integrated databases, cyber defensive and offensive operations from Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.
âI am delighted to have filled an important position with an important individual,â said Dr. Martha Saunders, UWF provost and executive vice president. âSue Cerovsky brings experience and connections to our Center for Cybersecurity. Iâm expecting big things from her.â
The UWF Center for Cybersecurity provides a hub for research on Cybersecurity and opportunities for students to move into high-demand career fields through collaborative partnerships. The Center was funded and made possible by an IT Performance Grant provided through the Florida Legislature. For additional information about the Center for Cybersecurity, visit www.uwf.edu/cybersecurity.