PNNL

Lori Ross O’Neil, a Digital Cybersecurity project manager at PNNL, was elected secretary of the 2020 Board of Directors for (ISC)², the world’s largest nonprofit association of cybersecurity professionals. She will serve a 1-year term.

“The opportunity has opened my eyes already,” O’Neil says. “As a representative of the board, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with cybersecurity professionals around the world, including meeting with Singapore’s cybersecurity agency. I’ve seen that all practitioners have the same goals in mind even though we’re separated by geography.”

(ISC)², which is now celebrating its 30-year anniversary, offers a portfolio of professional credentials, including their Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification. The group’s more than 150,000 members are certified cyber, cloud, information, software, and infrastructure security professionals.

The board works to provide strategic direction, governance, and oversight to the group. Board members also grant certifications to qualifying candidates and enforce adherence to the (ISC)² Code of Ethics.

O’Neil encourages anyone interested in cybersecurity to do a certification as a way of verifying and validating their knowledge and skills.

As the (ISC)2 board secretary, her signature appears on (ISC)² certifications earned and issued globally in 2020. “When I see people post their newly received certificates online, I always try to congratulate them,” O’Neil says.

Her collegial support extends to other fields too. O’Neil’s current passion is working with researchers outside of computer science in fields ranging from biology to energy to help increase awareness and build cybersecurity principles into their work.