SEASON III
COACHING TEAM
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
– Michael Jordan
Meet the Season III Coaching Team

Head Coach
Dr. Josh Brunty
Dr. Josh Brunty is an Associate Professor & Director of the Cyber Forensics & Security graduate program in the Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensic Sciences at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. He also serves as the Research Lead for Marshall’s Institute of Cyber Security.
Prior to joining Marshall University in 2012, he served seven years as a Digital Forensics Examiner and Technical Leader within both state and federal government sectors. He has a Ph.D. in Information Technology (Middle Georgia State University), and B.A. and M.S. degrees in Criminal Justice and Criminology (Marshall University).
Since 2013, Josh has served as Faculty Advisor and coach of Marshall’s highly successful Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition Team, competing in a number of CTF and RvB competitions. During his tenure as Marshall's coach, the team has taken top honors in a variety of cybersecurity competitions, including a first-place national championship finish in the National Cyber League (Spring 2020), and 4-straight Top Ten finishes (2018-2020). He has also served as a past mentor for various high school teams for the Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot Competition.

Assistant Head Coach
Georgia Weidman
Georgia is a serial entrepreneur, penetration tester, security researcher, speaker, trainer, mentor, angel investor, and the author of Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking. Georgia's work in the field of smartphone exploitation received a DARPA Cyber Fast Track grant and has been featured internationally in print and on national television including ABC, BBC, Fox, NBC, and in the PBS documentary Roadtrip Nation: Life Hackers.
Georgia has presented and trained worldwide, including venues such as Black Hat, DEF CON, NSA, Oxford, RSA, and West Point. Georgia founded Shevirah to create products for assessing and managing the risk of mobile devices in the enterprise and testing the effectiveness of enterprise mobility management solutions. She is also the founder of the security consulting firm Bulb Security. Georgia serves as Zimperium’s Security Architect.
Georgia received the 2015 Women’s Society of CyberJutsu Pentest Ninja award and is a Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus. She holds U.S. Patents #10,432,656 and #11,089,044 which are foundational to simulated phishing; as well as CISSP, Pentest+, and OSCP certifications. She has served as a subject matter expert with the CyberWatch Center's National Visiting Committee, FTC’s Home Inspector IoT security challenge, and as a New America Cybersecurity Policy Fellow.
COACHES


Capture the Flag Coach
Jacob Elliott
Jacob Elliott is a senior associate in the Software & DevOps Practice at Dark Wolf Solutions, LLC., a cybersecurity contractor working with numerous government and private entities. He was the CTF Coach for the Season II US Cyber Team and in his free time, he competes regularly in cyber challenges and boasts multiple national-level CTF wins including winning the Spring 2022 National Cyber League team game, representing the SANS Technology Institute.
Additionally, he volunteers as a Cyber Competition Coach at the University of North Georgia alongside Senior Tech Mentor Dr. Bryson Payne. He has helped lead the student cybersecurity club to first-place finishes nationally in the NSA Codebreaker Challenge in 2019 and 2020, and second place in 2021.


Red vs. Blue Coach
Christopher Haller
Christopher Haller is certified as GSE #329 and a US Navy Veteran who has a passion for uncovering operating risks for organizations.
He has been awarded his Master's in Cybersecurity Management and Policy from UMGC and a Graduate Certificate in Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking from the SANS Technology Institute.
Chris is a passionate CTF player, CTF coach, mentor, and HackTheBox creator. Chris has way too many certifications and will be publishing a book on computer hacking next year.


Coach
Dr. Dane Brown
Season I, RvB Coach
Season II, Assistant Head Coach
Dr. Dane Brown is an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dane is the Cyber Security Team Curriculum Committee Chair for the Cyber Science Department and has a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (VA Tech), M.S. in Computer Engineering (at Naval Postgraduate School), and B.S. in Electrical Engineering (at U.S. Naval Academy). Dr. Brown has been teaching cybersecurity for ten years, and in that time has helped set up a Cyber Operations major which became the first program accredited by ABET for Cyber Science.


Coach
Ken Jenkins
Season II, Head Coach
Ken brings 24+ years of experience in enterprise cybersecurity and IT solutions. Ken has led advanced technical teams that possess decades of experience protecting our Nation’s most sensitive mission networks. Ken is skilled in both offensive and defensive cyberspace operations with a unique understanding of security risks in the cyber domain and how they directly impact business continuity.
Previous competitions include HTB, SANS Hackfest, SANS Netwars, SANS Cybercity, SANS DFIR Netwars, CyberGuard, CyberKnight, CyberFlag x 4, Kaizen CTF, Army Cyber Skills Challenge (Cadre), Quantum Dawn, CDX, USCC Commander's Cup, AvengerCon, various Bside's CTF, and CyberPatriot.
PIPELINE PROGRAM


Pipeline Program Lead
Dennis Devey
Dennis works for the US Navy doing Digital Forensics and Incident Response. Previously he was the Strike Officer on USS Decatur (DDG 73).
In his spare time, Dennis runs Roppers.org, a free website with the goal of bringing Capture the Flag to as many new students as possible in order to train the next generation of American cyber security experts.



Pipeline Program Assistant
Deep Ramanayake
I am a Teaching Professor in Computer Science and Cybersecurity, serving as the Director of the Cybersecurity Program at Xavier University in Cincinnati. I am currently teaching offensive and defensive cybersecurity, reverse engineering, and networking.
My goal is to train and equip the next generation of cybersecurity professionals for a safer digital world. My research is currently focused on advancing education in Cybersecurity, emphasizing practical learning through immersive hands-on experiences.
My focus lies in engaging students with real-world challenges, fostering teamwork, and providing them with exposure to the intricacies of the field. In essence, I am committed to equipping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals with the skills and expertise necessary to excel in this dynamic and vital domain.


Pipeline Program Assistant
Angela Ramos
Angela Ramos is a Lecture at the University of Tampa.
Angela brings over 15 years of experience from the Department of Defense to help shape the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
She holds a M.S. in cybersecurity from the University of South Florida along with multiple industry certifications.
SENIOR TECHNICAL MENTORS


Senior Tech Mentor
Dr. Tyler Flaagan
Dr. Tyler Flaagan is an Assistant Professor at Dakota State University, teaching in the Cyber Operations and Network and Security Administration degrees. Tyler holds a Ph.D. and B.S. in Cyber Operations and an M.S. in Computer Science. Tyler is also the Director of the Deep Red Lab within Dakota State University MadLabs.
Besides degrees, Tyler holds multiple professional certifications specializing in offensive security, such as Offensive Security Certified Professional, GIAC Exploit Researcher, and Advanced Penetration Tester.
Previously, Tyler worked as a red team operator for Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, supporting various projects within the Department of Defense.


Senior Tech Mentor
Thomas McGuire
Tom is co-founder of Bantam Technologies, a small computer security firm dedicated to providing high quality services to its customers. He is also an instructor in the master’s program at Johns Hopkins University where he teaches Reverse Engineering, Cryptology, Operating Systems Security and Cyber Risk Management. He has a passion for learning and teaching. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in Computer Science. He has been a speaker at BlackHat and DefCON as well as technical editor of “The Art of Mac Malware”. Tom has previously helped with 2 seasons of the US Cybergames prior to joining as a coach. His expertise is in reverse engineering, vulnerability analysis, malware analysis, networking, OS system internals, and cryptology.


Senior Tech Mentor
David Morgan
David is a Principal Intelligence Strategist and Instructor at CrowdStrike and helps lead the development and instruction of advanced threat-hunting and intelligence courses. He has also been a Counterintelligence Special Agent in the US Army for over 26 years and specializes in counter-espionage cyber forensics and investigations. He served on active duty for 10 years and has been a reservist for the past 16. David also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Florida and teaches Advanced Cyber Intelligence. David's previous employment includes technical positions at US Cyber Command, the NSA, FBI, US Treasury Dept, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. He has a B.A. in Intelligence Analysis from AMU, a law degree from Concord Law School, and an M.A. in Info Mgt Systems from Harvard.
David mentors three local high school CyberPatriot teams, serves on the SANS Advisory Board, volunteers as a member of the IT Security Steering Committee at ASIS, and donates his time to serve as the Executive Director of Operations of the Armed Services Hockey Association (501c3). He holds nearly 20 certifications, including the CFE, GREM, EnCE, GCIH, and GISP. David is also an avid CTF competitor and competes every year in multiple DefCon Black Badge events, placing in the top three at Capture the Packet the past few years.


Senior Tech Mentor
Dr. Bryson Payne
Season I and II Senior Tech Mentor
CAREERS & LEADERSHIP MENTORS


Careers & Leadership Mentor
Austin Cusak
Dr. Cusak, is a cybersecurity education and talent development professional with a breadth of experience ranging from security operations to keynote speaking. With a background in Public Diplomacy, Dr. Cusak supports the Cybersecurity Division of CISA as a Leadership Program Manager, while also instructing junior technical staff in the art and science of leadership. Research-wise, Dr. Cusak is focused on the professionalization of cybersecurity through transitioning technical workers into first-time leaders.


Careers & Leadership Mentor
Tim King
Tim is currently an Agency Cyber Officer with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and has over 20 years of experience in the Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Information Management, and Information Technology Operations fields. Tim’s career includes 15 years with the District of Columbia Air National Guard in Helpdesk Management, Network Management, and Information Assurance (now retired); a two-year assignment at the Pentagon as the Lead Systems Administrator for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (OSD/PA); close to three years as the Lead Systems Administrator for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) during initial Flight Testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD; and close to five years working on Cybersecurity projects for the JSF Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), JSF Training Infrastructure Systems (TIS), and his current program. Tim is also a former United States Marine and was discharged honorably after four years of active duty as a Corporal.
Tim holds two Associate’s Degrees from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) in Information Systems Technology and Information Management, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Management from DeVry University, and a Master of Science Degree in Professional Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida.
Tim’s certifications include CompTIA’s Security+ (ce) certification and he has been a CISSP since August 2012 and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).


Careers & Leadership Mentor
Shreyas Kumar
Shreyas Kumar is a Security leader and researcher. He works as a Chief Information Security Officer at a Fintech Startup, and in the past worked at Adobe, Oracle and Uber. He serves as a board member and mentor at various organizations. He holds an MS degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University, College Station.
JUNIOR TECHNICAL MENTORS


Junior Tech Mentor
Aidan Benderly
Season I and II US Cyber Team
I first got into cybersecurity during college, where I participated in the ACES Cybersecurity Honors program at the University of Maryland. One of my favorite things about the security industry is that it is constantly evolving. This means that in the field we have to be constantly learning and developing new skills and techniques. There are also so many different areas of expertise in cyber - from reverse engineering and vulnerability research to security engineering, to policy and legal. All of these areas contribute and work together to make the world a safer place and I'm excited to be a part of that.


Junior Tech Mentor
Chris Issing
Season I US Cyber Team
I got into the cyber field through picoCTF 2013 and found all the categories really fun. I then played more ctfs and found re and pwn the best categories so I stuck with them. I hope to be able to do re and pwn for a living in the future. I was a member of the first US Cyber Team.



Junior Tech Mentor
Tyler Randolph
Season I and II US Cyber Team
I come from a background in healthcare before deciding that the career path wasn't for me. I have always been interested in computers, so cyber security is a much more rewarding and fulfilling career path for me.
I find cyber games fun and interactive. With each challenge, there is always something new to learn.
I was a member of the first US Cyber Team.
Competitions:
Hack the Box CTF 2021
DawgCTF 2021
DCTF 2021


Junior Tech Mentor
Chris Roberts
Season I US Cyber Team

OBSERVERS & SUPPORT STAFF



Observer & Support Staff
Joseph Chmielewski
Joe Chmielewski is Senior Systems Engineer with Connection where he leads the penetration testing team.
He has over 6 years of experience in cybersecurity and over 15 years in IT. Joe is also a cybersecurity instructor at several institutions. He is passionate about penetration testing and is committed to teaching others and helping them prepare to join the cybersecurity workforce.
In his spare time, he loves to spend time with his family or make candles.


Observer & Support Staff
Steve Cobb
Steve Cobb is One Source’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) bringing more than 30 years of leadership and consulting involving IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence. Since joining One Source in 2015, Steve has been responsible for providing strategic IT consulting and delivering increased organizational efficiency and security for our customers.
Prior to One Source, Steve led Cyber Security and IT Infrastructure teams at organizations like Verizon, Microsoft, RBC, PNC Bank, and Capital One. Steve serves on several CISO boards and is a frequent presenter at conferences such as InfoSeCon, Cyber Defense Summit, and others. Steve attended UNC-CH, but left early to start his own IT and Cyber Security consulting company, and ultimately received his degree in Business from East Carolina University.


Observer & Support Staff
Alycia Farrell
Alycia spent 15 years on Capitol Hill as a Professional Staff Member/ budget analyst on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense. She completed her Master of Arts in International Relations, Cyber Diplomacy (Technical Track) at Norwich University after leaving the Hill in 2015. Since being exposed to hacking and offensive security through the Norwich program, Alycia has continued pursuing a technical understanding of cybersecurity through CTF competitions and certification prep (currently pursuing the PNPT). She believes understanding cybersecurity's technical/ operational side will make her a better budget and policy analyst in her day job as a federal government consultant (and if she returns to government service one day.)
Alycia has acquired the CC from ISC2 and is a registered RP with the CMMC AB (Compliance). She serves on the Board of Directors for the Tortora Brayda Institute, a nonprofit think tank focused on Artificial Intelligence technology and cybersecurity. She is also one of the founders of the Association of US Cyber Forces. This nonprofit organization provides a voice and advocates for national security cyber professionals.
Currently, she is an independent federal government and business development official specializing in national security acquisition and budget policy, focusing on directed energy, space, and cyber/AI programs.


Observer & Support Staff
Chase Fontenot
Chase Fontenot is a cybersecurity engineer and a security researcher with the Synack Red Team. He brings competitive CTF experience as a member of Team Nighthawk, winners of the NolaCon 2022 Capture The Flag (CTF) competition.
In addition to his achievements, Chase has shared his expertise as a speaker at NolaCon 2023 and will be speaking at the upcoming HackRedCon 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Chase's main goal is to promote cybersecurity awareness and support newcomers in the industry.