Startups

Meet CAMI’s 2023 cybersecurity award finalists

These nominees collectively demonstrate the importance of cybersecurity across a wide array of sectors and industries in Maryland.

CyDeploy founder Tina Williams-Koroma (second from right) poses with CAMI's Company to Watch Award. (Courtesy CAMI/Eric Stocklin)

An organization that acts as a chamber of commerce for Maryland’s cyber firms is set to recognize excellence in the cybersecurity industry during its seventh annual award ceremony on Oct. 26.

Launched in 2015, the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI) will hold its annual Cybersecurity Awards in Columbia, Maryland, where it’s HQed. The convening is meant to celebrate the best in Maryland’s cybersecurity industry. The recognition for cyber companies and individuals alike ranges from outstanding products and services to individuals who are making significant contributions to the nation’s cybersecurity ecosystem.

Tasha Cornish, CAMI’s executive director, highlighted in a phone interview how these awards’ finalists were selected.

“Each category has specific criteria. For instance, innovation must address a unique industry need effectively,” she told Technical.ly, adding that finalists must possess “a commitment to shaping the future of the cybersecurity field and a strong dedication to training the next generation of industry leaders.”

Cornish noted that the judging panel, consisting of CAMI’s board members, industry experts and city leaders, independently chose the finalists.

“Our judging panel is entirely independent — no pay-to-play involved here,” she said.

Kyle Waggoner, director of information security at Perdue Farms and an advisory board member, is one of the finalists this year.

While a very small percentage of CAMI’s 700 members come from higher education institutions such as Towson University, that school and the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) appear among the finalists.

Cornish said that CAMI has “added” and “augmented” categories this year. Categories such as “Cybersecurity Resource of the Year” and “Best of Anne Arundel County” did not make a return this year. However, the “Cybersecurity Company to Watch” award, which CyDeploy and founder Tina Williams-Koroma (who now serves on CAMI’s Board of Directors) won last year, has made a comeback with new finalists. Koroma more recently received a vote of confidence from Google.

In 2022, CAMI announced that it would expand its membership by establishing what they refer to as “centers of excellence” in areas such as business growth and innovation, cybersecurity talent and cyber resilience. Cornish elaborated on the plans for the upcoming year, stating: “So in 2024, you can expect to see a lot more activity out of this center. That’s really going to be the engine for how we are leading the advancement. of cybersecurity.”

Find the list of finalists for this year’s awards below:

Cybersecurity Champion of the Year Award

Ken Hlavacek, Maryland Department of Transportation

Bezawit Sumner, Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients

Kyle Waggoner, Perdue Farms

Cybersecurity Company to Watch Award

Hopr

Patero

Shield 7 Consulting

Cybersecurity Defender of the Year Award

Dataprise

RackTop Systems

Skyline Technology Solutions

Cybersecurity Diversity Trailblazer Award

Agile Enterprises

Towson University Center for Interdisciplinary and Innovative Cybersecurity

University of Maryland Global Campus

Cybersecurity Innovation of the Year Award

Dragos

Enveil

RackTop Systems

Cyber Warrior Woman Award

Morgan Adamski, director, NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center

Adele Merritt, intelligence community chief information officer, Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Netta Squires, director of local cybersecurity, Office of Security Management, Maryland Department of Information Technology

Government Contractor (<$50 million) of the Year Award

Jovian Concepts

SIXGEN

Zavda Technologies

Government Contractor ($50 million+) of the Year Award

CyberCore Technologies

DigiFlight

Sabre Systems

Technical.ly is a media partner for the 2023 Cybersecurity Awards.
Companies: Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc.

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Why a California company chose Pittsburgh for its clean energy arm

Baltimore is setting a national standard for diversifying its economy

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

Are digital navigators the answer to closing Philadelphia’s tech gap?

Technically Media