SHARON, Pa. – Penn State Shenango and LindenPointe Development Corp.’s Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center will host the 2025 Cybersecurity Summit on March 19 in the Shenango Auditorium.
Local and regional industry professionals and students are encouraged to attend. The inaugural summit will feature two panel discussions from cybersecurity professionals representing organizations such as the U.S. military, FBI, Erie Insurance, Primary Health Network and others.
Both panels will focus on the current state of cybersecurity nationally and regionally, as well as current and expected challenges the industry is facing and how to mitigate those threats. Networking and idea sharing opportunities will be available.
Matthew DeMaria, Penn State Shenango program coordinator of information technology, and Dima Rabadi, assistant professor of cybersecurity, will moderate the panel discussions.
“With the constantly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, it is important for us to work regionally and facilitate conversations that we can all learn and benefit from,” said Carey McDougall, regional chancellor of Penn State Beaver and Penn State Shenango. “We’re excited to partner with the PCC to bring this collection of industry experts to campus as a resource that benefits all of us.”
The Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center, in partnership with Penn State Shenango’s Continuing Education, delivers fully virtual computer science and cybersecurity training programs to local high school and college students, as well as adult learners in the region. Through a recent $1.15 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, the PCC aims to expand throughout the commonwealth to develop and deliver new programs and initiatives.
In September 2024, Harry Coker Jr., the White House national cyber director in the Biden administration, visited the PCC to discuss the need to think locally and regionally to develop a homegrown workforce combating cybersecurity threats.
“This inaugural summit supports our mission to expand cybersecurity education and literacy across the Shenango Valley in partnership with Penn State Shenango,” said Bradley Calleja, executive director of LindenPointe Development Corp. “It’s increasingly difficult to find a company that hasn’t been impacted by a cyberattack. This event will help community members better understand the associated risks and give students a valuable opportunity to explore the rapidly growing demand for cybersecurity professionals.”
Those interested in attending can register online for free. Attendee check-in will begin at 8 a.m., and the summit programming is expected to end at noon.
Sponsors of the event include Pelican3 IT Consulting LLC, based in Poland, Ohio, and Sharon Tube Co., a division of Zekelman Industries, located in Farrell, Pa.