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Cyber Defense Education Center
Cyber Defense Education Center
Underscoring the College’s commitment to excellence in Information Technology education, Blue Ridge Community College has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency of the United States of America.
Program Information
- The Network Management Pathway is a concentration under the Information Technology program and is the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Program of Study.
- This curriculum provides individuals with the skills required to analyze and implement effective and comprehensive information security controls.
- Graduates should qualify for employment in entry-level positions with businesses, educational systems, and governmental agencies that rely on computer systems to design and manage information.
- The program incorporates the competencies of industry-recognized certification exams.
Program Faculty
Full-Time Faculty:
- Dan Rickert, MSBIT
- Tonya Stephens, MS CIS
Part-Time Faculty:
- Charles Bolin, MBA/MIS
- Susan Hannum, MS IT
- Randy Hollifield, MISA
- Brown McFadden, MBA/MS IT
- Dan Rosenthal, MEd
- Eric Schmieder, MS IT
- David Trent, MS IT
Blue Ridge Community College faculty and staff display a letter from the National Security Agency designating the college as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. (August 8, 2022.)
CompTIA's Cyberstates
Cybersecurity Heat Map
Find a Job in Cybersecurity
NICCS - National Initiative for Cyber Security Careers and Studies
Our Partners
Cybersecurity Activities for Students
The Hive
The Blue Ridge Community College Hive Club consists of IT students interested in exploring new technologies and cybersecurity outside of the classroom. The Hive meets in TEDC114 on Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For Spring, we will participate in the National Cyber League.
In the NCL Games, students work to solve challenges such as identifying hackers from forensic data, pentesting and auditing vulnerable websites, recovering from ransomware attacks, and more. Participate in the season to track your skills growth with an NCL Scouting Report or represent your school in the national Cyber Power Rankings.
NCL Spring 2026:
Gymnasium: January 26th through May 22nd
Practice Game: March 30th – April 5th
Individual Game: April 10 -12
Team Game: April 24th – 26th
We are also participating in the Cisco Cybergames Americas2026.
February 2026: sign-up
March 23rd: kick-off; runs through June 14th
June 15th-June 24th: CTF Cisco Cybergames Americas
You will receive a certificate and digital badge upon completion
Awards: June 30th
Contact Tonya Stephens for more information!
Free Teaching Resources
Clark Cybersecurity K-12 Teaching Resources
CLARK is the largest platform that provides FREE cybersecurity curriculum. It is home to high-value, high-impact cyber curriculum created by top educators and reviewed for relevance and quality. Whether you’re looking to teach something new tomorrow, align with curriculum guidelines and standards, or refine your current course, CLARK has free resources ready for you to use!
Topics include:
- Access Control
- Adversarial Thinking
- Blockchain
- Cloud Security
- Cryptography
- Cyber Law and Policy
- Cyber Physical Systems
- Digital Forensics
- Ethics
- Healthcare
- Human Factors
- IoT
- Malware
- Network Security
- Operating Systems Security
- Principles of Security
- Privacy
- Programming
- Quantum Computing
- Ransomware
- Reverse Engineering
- Risk Management
- Software Security and Secure Programming
- Software Supply Chain
- Web Security
Meet the Geeks
Meet the Geeks is an all-volunteer organization focused on supporting the tech community in Western North Carolina by creating opportunities for networking, partnership, professional development and employment.
Cybersecurity Resources
Cybersecurity Events
Career Outlook for Information Security Jobs
Industry Advisory Board representing:
- ETS Networks
- Kimberly-Clark
- MAHEC
- Henderson County Public Schools
- Pardee Hospital / UNC Healthcare
- J. Crew
- Reliant Data Solutions
Cybersecurity Activities for Students
The links provided below will take you to third party websites not affiliated with Blue Ridge Community College. The links below are provided solely for your reference and are not necessarily endorsed by the College. Please be advised to use caution when providing personal information over the Internet.
Contact Us
Full-time Faculty:
Dan Rickert, Point of Contact
d.rickert@blueridge.edu
Tonya Stephens
t.stephens@blueridge.edu
Office Location
Technology Education Development Center (TEDC), Room 321
180 Campus Drive
Flat Rock, NC 28731
Phone: (828) 694-1772
Office Hours
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.