Meet Netta Squires, a Maryland cybersecurity leader mentoring the next generation of women in tech

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, Netta Squires, the director of local cybersecurity at the Maryland Department of Information Technology, serves as both a mentor and a beacon for women aspiring to get into the field.

Squires was appointed to the state role by Gov. Larry Hogan in 2022. Her experience in the field has earned her a nomination for the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI) Cyber Warrior Woman Award, to be held Oct. 26.

Squires’ background includes both cybersecurity and emergency management, and she has led initiatives aimed at enhancing cybersecurity resilience across the state. In an interview with Technical.ly, she described one of her major accomplishments as being the creation of the Maryland Local Cybersecurity Collaborative (MLCC), an initiative that unites chief information officers and other local cybersecurity experts in a collaborative space. The MLCC has not only fostered knowledge sharing but also brought together a diverse community of professionals across the state, she said.

The MLCC “has been tremendously successful for many reasons,” Squires said. “That group really created the baseline, or the fabric, of my ability to communicate and coordinate with every single CISO in the county,” as well as across counties and public school systems.

In addition to contributing to Maryland’s cybersecurity community, she is passionate about encouraging more women to join this critical field. She recognizes the need for diversity and inclusion and actively promotes the idea that women can excel in cybersecurity while balancing other responsibilities, such as motherhood.

“We need more women [who] can be models to other women,” she said, and who can “empower other women to see what’s possible and what they can do. You can be a mom, you can be a hard worker.”

In addition to her impactful work in the professional realm, Squires invests her time in educating the next generation. She teaches cybersecurity and emergency management at institutions such as Frederick Community College and the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her dedication to education is driven by her belief in the importance of academic knowledge coupled with hands-on experience.

“I teach cybersecurity because I care about it. I teach emergency management because I really believe in it. I invest in my kids to try and teach them principles of both STEM … and being problem solvers and thinkers,” she said.

The CAMI Cyber Warrior Woman Award is an honor that acknowledges her contributions to cybersecurity and her dedication to mentoring the next generation of professionals.

Register for the 2023 Cybersecurity Awards