Heading in to the holidays

Happy December InfraGard members! I look forward to seeing you at our Annual Meeting next week. We have a tremendous line-up of our Board and FBI partners who will share with you some of our ambitious plans for 2016 and also share some very exciting news! (You'll have to attend to find out what that news is...)

As we approach the holiday season we are keenly aware of the increased threats and vulnerabilities you face. Recent terror attacks and active shooters bring a new sense of urgency to the challenges you tackle every day. We are looking for new and more effective ways to support you and have developed a number of initiatives, some are outlined below, to execute in 2016.

First, we welcome two newly appointed Board members, Keith Bryars and Kathy Mills. Both are long-time InfraGard members. Keith joined Harris, following a 25-year career as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), retiring from the Senior Executive Service. Throughout his FBI career, Mr. Bryars was involved in a number of significant high profile investigations involving counterterrorism, cybersecurity, counterintelligence, public corruption, and violent crimes. He is considered a subject matter expert in Federal Law Enforcement and National Security matters. Kathy Mills is the Corporate Security Officer/Security Director for CENTRA Technology and developed their insider threat program, manages their personnel, program, physical, and information security. She has over twenty years' experience in security including maintaining all aspects of a program under the National Industrial Security Program. She is also Co-Chair of the Homeland Security Committee for the Industrial Security Working Group and a Board member of Women in Homeland Security. Keith will contribute to our thought leadership efforts in the new year, and Kathy will be working on how the chapter can leverage all the existing resources in our community to share information more effectively and help more of us row in the same direction.

Second, as we look to how our Board can help you - and make your job easier - we have developed a number of projects for which we ask your support and engagement:

Security Tool-Kit for Small & Medium Enterprises - A task force, led by new Board members Keith Bryars and Kathy Mills, have started to develop a unique and practical tool-kit for small and mid-sized businesses to develop a security plan, understand the insider threat, and educate their employees.
We will SHARE information! - The Board, leaders of your Cyber SIG, and your IT Sector Chiefs are diligently working to find a great platform for our chapter to share information, form interest/sector groups, and talk to one another. We are determined to make this tool available to you as quickly as possible. We thank Board member Glenn Wood, Cyber SIG Co-Chair Mark Tanner, and IT Sector Chief Jay Uphouse and Deputy Sector Chief Paul Hamman for working to find a secure, user-friendly solution. Have ideas? Let us know at the annual meeting!
Social Media is here whether you like it or not. The terrorists use it to coordinate across the globe....isn't it time for us to dive in?? It is. Your chapter has created a number of social media platforms for which we are looking for curators. What does a curator do? They SHARE what they are reading with others in our community. I bet you are learning and reading some great stuff that would help others - how easy would it be to simply share this with your colleagues in InfraGard on our Flipboard page? It's as easy as clicking a button - and you can be anonymous! Contact us to learn more!
Cyber Recruiting Pipeline - When our Board met with leadership from the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO), one of their number one concerns is developingand hiring the talent to join the cyber battle. Our Board has developed a "Cyber Recruiting Pipeline" with the WFO and will work from middle school to hiring to assist our FBI partners find the talent they need. Interested in joining this effort? Contact us to learn more!

Frankly, I could go on and on! And I will... at our Annual Meeting! I want to see you there to share some festive food, be with like-minded colleagues, and provide critical information from your Board and the FBI. And if all of that doesn't WOW you - then join us just to hear the very SPECIAL surprise we have planned for January 2016!

Please stay safe this holiday season and accept our sincere thank for the role you play in securing our nation's critical infrastructure. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to us with any ideas, concerns or needs.