SHARON, Pa. – Nearly 70 students from high schools in Mercer and Lawrence counties received an earful of advice and guidance Wednesday from cybersecurity specialists who shared their insights during the inaugural 2025 Cybersecurity Summit at the Penn State Shenango campus.
“I know we’re going to be working with robots, a bunch of artificial intelligence,” said Keyona Little, a junior at Farrell High School. “Our world is evolving.”
Little said she attended the summit because she’s already involved in cybersecurity programs at her school and is concerned about the prevalence of cybercrime and fraud impacting businesses. She is now considering a career in the field.
“I’m kind of looking into data analysis now, and maybe even the FBI,” she said.
The morning-long forum, hosted by the Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center at Lindenpointe and Penn State Shenango, featured two separate panels representing the public and private sectors. The panels touched on topics and answered students’ questions as to why they chose their careers, their experience, national security concerns, the threat of cyberattacks and the opportunities in the industry that are available to young people today.
Those who work in or with the public sector included Gabriel Bullis, program engineer and AI model manager for Axiologic, a company contracted by U.S. defense and security agencies; Trooper Bertha Cazy, a member of the community service unit at the Pennsylvania State Police; Chief Warrant Officer Nick Vettore of the U.S. Army; Master Sgt. Jorge Martinez of the U.S. Air Force Reserve; and Mackenzie Monarko, supervisory special agent cyber squad, FBI Pittsburgh.
A substantial amount of cybercrime – phishing scams, ransomware, malware – originates from countries in Eastern Europe, Monarko said. Other forms of scams and fraud today emerge from other parts of the world, she said.
Business email compromise scams, for example, in which phishing-based scams entice companies to change banking information and send wire transfers to foreign bank accounts, are often traced to countries in Africa, she said.
Meanwhile, there are consistent security threats from nation states such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, Monarko said. “We see a lot of activity, obviously, coming out of there,” she said.
Moreover, she noted that adversaries and cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using advanced technology such as artificial intelligence that makes it more difficult to detect. On the other hand, companies and the government can use AI to help determine threat levels and protect their networks.
Since most of these attacks come from foreign sources, she said that her agency often works with the U.S. military, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency to formulate “unique offensive ways” to respond to cyberthreats from abroad.
At times, network vulnerability can come from within, said Axiologic’s Bullis. Those working for the federal government, for example, also must be cognizant of what they post online, noting that it could be used by foreign sources to target a specific individual.
“There are people who are too open online,” he said, at times posting their security clearance. “That alone is a huge threat, because it leaves them open to phishing attacks or to be targeted by adversaries. One of the big things is to protect information and keep things to yourself,” he said.
Scammers have used AI to imitate well-known people to convince others into surrendering personal or financial information, added Cazy, of the Pennsylvania State Police. “They’re starting to look and sound very legit,” she said. “It’s something we’re struggling with. It’s hard to tell the difference.”
A second panel focused on job opportunities in the field and how private industry is protecting itself from cybersecurity risks. Those participating in that discussion were Paul Hugenberg III, managing member of Pelican3 Consulting LLC; David Kehoe, information security manager at Zekelman Industries, the parent of Wheatland Tube and Sharon Tube; Joshua Rumbaugh, IT manager at Mercer County State Bank; and Jennie Slabe, chief information officer at Primary Health Network.
Both sets of panelists concurred that cybersecurity is a field that transcends just about every industry and business segment.
Kehoe said manufacturing has become more automated and needs to ensure that the robotics within the local plants are functional and, most of all, safe.
“I really like to focus on threat detection and training my team to make sure that we’re aware of the emerging threats and understanding who our threat actors are,” he told students.
Entering the cybersecurity and information technology profession is much more than a job today, Kehoe said. One of the fundamentals that he looks for in a job candidate, for example, is a basic understanding of cyberthreats. More importantly, however, is a candidate’s willingness to learn and adapt.
“There are constantly things that are changing in this job. You have to be up to date on it,” he said. “You have to want to do it.”
Primary Health Network’s Slabe said her department evaluates potential employees who possess more than technical skills. “We’re looking for people who are well-rounded, who can critically think,” she said. “If we are alerted that an incident occurred, you need to be able to think on your feet.”
Pelican3’s Hugenberg noted that he specifically looks for creativity and ideation in a job candidate’s background. “I need to know how you think, how you’re creative and how you share ideas,” he said. “Don’t lose that part of the skill set you bring to your potential employer, because we’ll all be solving problems together.”
Another element critical to cybersecurity in the private sector is establishing a protocol and communication network within an organization that determines who is responding once a breach or incident is detected.
“There’s going to be leadership coming to you with a million questions,” Mercer County Bank’s Rumbaugh said. “My analyst could be working on an incident on how bad the breach is or how deep it goes, and then I’ll be in the middle documenting, fielding questions from directors and vice presidents.”
Carey McDougall, regional chancellor of Penn State Shenango and Penn State Beaver campuses, said she hopes this is the first of many cybersecurity summits hosted by the university.
“Cybersecurity is not just an IT issue,” she said. “It’s a business imperative, a national security priority, and it’s a personal responsibility. That’s why events like this are absolutely essential for our region to thrive.”
Pictured at top: Keyona Little, a junior at Farrell High School.