PNNL

Lori Ross O’Neil, a cybersecurity engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, served on a panel of accomplished women in the cybersecurity field as part of an (ISC)² webinar marking International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021.

O’Neil was one of four cybersecurity leaders invited to share their professional journeys during the webinar, “Celebrating International Women’s Day: Carving a Cybersecurity Career Path.” O’Neil and the other panelists, including (ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso, discussed the evolution of diverse cybersecurity teams and the principles that inform how they are being assembled today.

“Cybersecurity is a great field for women and seeing this great panel of women discussing cyber confidently and enthusiastically will hopefully motivate others to try it out,” O’Neil said.

The webinar’s 354 attendees logged in to the webinar from locations across the U.S. They gave the event high ratings and glowing feedback: “Excellent discussion and recommendations from some very smart women in cyber,” said one attendee.

O’Neil said she was honored to be part of the event. She believes cybersecurity transcends all areas of science and requires “diverse teams and information exchange.”

“Cyber is for everyone,” said O’Neil, who wrote a LinkedIn article on the topic last year. “I continue to look for ways to share the message that we are all part of the solution to defend our digital systems and protect our personal information.” 

(ISC)²—formerly known as the International Information System Security Certification Consortium—is the world’s largest nonprofit association of cybersecurity professionals and a global leader in the training and certification of cybersecurity professionals. O’Neil has served on the (ISC)² Board of Directors since 2019 and was elected vice chairperson earlier this year.

Watch a recording of the webinar here.