Coalfire Expands Partnership with University of Washington through Information Security and Risk Management Program

Partnership will help close talent gap for cybersecurity professionals and offer continuous career development

Westminster, CO – May 1, 2019 – Coalfire, a trusted provider of cybersecurity advisory and assessment services, announced today that it has expanded its partnership with the University of Washington through the university’s Information Security and Risk Management (ISRM) program. Coalfire and the University of Washington share common values of closing the talent gap for cybersecurity professionals, and this pilot program will help the selected Coalfire employees with continuous development, career management and skills acquisition.

“Cybersecurity talent is always in high demand and short supply. If private-sector cybersecurity businesses and educational institutions worked in lock step to educate promising talent and then help them succeed, we could help alleviate the issue,” said Tom McAndrew, CEO of Coalfire. “This partnership is a positive step in that direction, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the University of Washington in the future.”

A group of Seattle-based Coalfire employees are participating in the ISRM pilot program through December 2019. In addition to furthering their education in overall risk management, Coalfire employees in this program will become certified in designing and executing information security strategies and building information risk management toolkits.

“The ISRM program offers an additional continuing education opportunity for Coalfire employees to continue to learn and expand their knowledge base as a key element to their engagement and career development,” said Leslie Jones, chief human resources officer at Coalfire.

The University of Washington is one of the select higher education institutions that participates in the Dakin Cybersecurity Scholarship Fund, established in December 2015 in memory of cybersecurity visionary and Coalfire co-founder Rick Dakin. The fund provides scholarships for students who show promise in the field of cybersecurity.

“I am excited about expanding the Coalfire UW/CIAC relationship,” said Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, executive director for the Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity at University of Washington Bothell. “Our organizations are viewed as thought leaders in academia and industry, respectively. We’re both committed to closing the talent gap for cybersecurity professionals and have found multiple ways to collaborate on this and other issues.”

About Coalfire
Coalfire is the trusted cybersecurity advisor that helps private and public-sector organizations avert threats, close gaps and effectively manage risk. By providing independent and tailored advice, assessments, technical testing and cyber engineering services, we help clients develop scalable programs that improve their security posture, achieve their business objectives and fuel their continued success. Coalfire has been a cybersecurity thought leader for more than 17 years and has offices throughout the United States and Europe.

For more information, visit Coalfire.com.

Press Contact:
Mike Gallo
For Coalfire
212-239-8594
Luminacoalfire@luminapr.com