As the charitable arm of (ISC)², the Center for Cyber Safety and Education relies heavily on the support of volunteers and business partners to continue its mission of making it a safer cyber world for everyone. As a global foundation, these external forces, help the Center grow its message and impact worldwide. Without their commitment and passion, the Center wouldn’t be where it is today.

To acknowledge the efforts of those who have gone above and beyond, each year the Center chooses an individual for its Julie Peeler Franz “Do It For The Children” Volunteer Award and a company for its ‘Partner of the Year’ award to be recognized at the annual (ISC)² Security Congress. This year, the Center is pleased to announce Greg Thompson for the Julie Peeler Franz “Do It For The Children” Volunteer Award and Amazon Web Services as ‘Partner of the Year’.

Julie Peeler Franz “Do It For The Children” Volunteer Award is named after Julie Peeler Franz, who was the first director of the (ISC)² Foundation, now the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, where she led for several years. Julie had a brilliant mind and one of the wittiest personalities. She fought cancer with great courage and determination, the same way she approached her efforts to make the cyber world a safer place for everyone.

Julie was an extremely effective spokeswoman for the Center and (ISC)². Her real passion was to build an educational program that would teach parents, seniors and especially children how to be safe and secure online. Any time you had a conversation with Julie about the Center’s educational programs, she always went right for your heart by reminding you “It’s for the children.”

2020 Recipient: Greg Thompson, CISSP – Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Manulife Financial

Greg has extensive experience in industries ranging from Telecommunications to Financial Services. Prior to rejoining Manulife in 2018, Greg worked for Scotiabank for 15 years where he led the combined Operational and IT Risk Practices. Greg has been a volunteer with the Center since it began and currently serves as Chairman of Board of Trustees for the Center. He is the former Vice Chair of the (ISC)² Board of Directors and is a Board Member of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange.

Greg has recruited and led a group of volunteers in Toronto, Canada to help support the Center and ensure citizens and children of their community have access to the Center’s award-winning programs. To-date some 20,000 children have benefited from his leadership and his efforts. As chairman of the Trustees, Greg provides inspirational leadership through both his words and deeds to the rest of the volunteers. For his leadership and commitment to making it a safer cyber world, the Center for Cyber Safety and Education is proud to recognize Greg Thompson as our 2020 Julie Peeler Franz “Do It For The Children” Volunteer of the year.

  

‘Partner of the Year’ recognizes organizations that provide valuable resources in time, talent and treasure, and allow the Center to deliver its vital programs to larger audiences around the globe. While volunteers are the heart of any charity, the lifeblood comes from the support of organizations and companies that share our vision to make it a safer cyber world. Providing financial support to advance the cause and taking an active role in growing the program is a key aspect when recognizing a ‘Partner of the Year’.

2020 Recipient: Amazon Web Services

AWS has become a key player in the Center efforts to grow the award-winning Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures program into new markets. Their support, leadership and creative input into the new Cyber Safety Day outreach efforts will help provide an additional 100,000 cyber safety lesson to students in the next year. AWS is partnering with the Center to target new cities and expanding not only the delivery of these vital programs in those major markets, but also bringing other organizations and sponsors with them. This team effort will greatly expand and improve the Center’s community outreach. For their leadership and commitment to making it a safer cyber world, the Center for Cyber Safety and Education is proud to recognize AWS as our 2020 Partner of the Year.

Greg Thompson and Amazon Web Services will be recognized for their efforts virtually at this year’s (ISC)² Security Congress November 16-18.