Dr. Ashley Podhradsky is the Vice President for Research & Economic Development at Dakota State University. She is also a member of the First Bank & Trust Board of Directors. Dr. Podhradsky is a sought-after speaker and keynote for cybersecurity events around the country. Her research teams have received over $15 million in competitive grants from the National Security Agency, National Science Foundation, Small Business Administration, and others. In addition to her academic and professional work, she has a strong passion for increasing gender diversity in cybersecurity. She is the co-founder of CybHER, a cyber outreach program which has reached thousands of people from K-12 to college age and beyond. As a fundraiser, she has received nearly $2 million in gifts for CybHER. Dr. Podhradsky was the recipient of the EmBe 2017 “Young Woman of Achievement,” the 2017 Merrill Hunter Award for Excellence in Research, was a 2017 and 2018 New America Cybersecurity Fellow. She was also named an American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassador in 2019. Through this program, she is one of 120 women in STEM featured around the country with a life-size statue.

Dr. Pam Rowland is the Associate Dean of Computer Sciences and Technology in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at Grand Canyon University.  Pam holds a D.Sc. degree in Information Systems from Dakota State University in Madison, SD.  Dr. Rowland has over 15 years of higher ed experience as a tenured faculty and has also held various administrative positions.  Her areas of teaching include cybersecurity and computer science.  Pam’s passion project is CybHER(TM) which she co-founded. This project focuses on empowering, motivating, educating, and changing the perception of girls and women in cybersecurity. The project has been supported by grants from the NSA, NSF, NCWIT, and the AAUW. Pam has experience in building high-performing teams, promoting partnerships, recruiting and retaining students through mentorship, building diverse teams, and writing and administering grants. She is forever thankful for her family.  Pam and her husband live in Phoenix, AZ and have two grandbabies.  They love adventure and exploring the outdoors.

Kanthi Narukonda is a Ph.D. Cyber Defense student at DSU. She is an Instructor in the Beacom College at DSU and the current Director for the CybHER Institute. She manages a team of 10 undergraduate students who serve as CybHER Leaders. Kanthi holds graduate degrees in Cyber Defense and Embedded Systems Engineering. Her passion and interest in cybersecurity led her to pursue a graduate and subsequent doctoral degree in cyber defense at DSU. Kanthi lives in Madison, SD, currently with her dog, Zoë.

TRUST Education Director at University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Aimée Tabor was a strong force for broadening participation in STEM and an advocate for increasing access to education for women, minorities and underrepresented populations in STEM. Aimée was the Program Manager for UC Berkeley’s TRUST Center and an advocate for Black Girls Code.

Through her work, she impacted and inspired so many people. She will be remembered for her wonderful sense of humor, perseverance, bright smile and optimism. Dr. Tabor was a mentor for Dr. Podhradsky, Co-Founder of CybHER, and CybHER Girl is dedicated to her memory.