Volunteering is at the heart of the mission of (ISC)². The individuals who offer their time, skills and knowledge positively impact their community helping create a safer and more secure cyber world.

We want to highlight some of our volunteers, the impact they make on the cybersecurity profession and the world at large during annual Volunteer Appreciation Week.

We interviewed Lisa Vaughan, CISSP to discuss her cybersecurity career, the various volunteer roles she has held at (ISC)² and the impact volunteering has on her life.

Lisa is the Executive Director, Information Technology for Hexagon U.S. Federal . In addition to holding the CISSP, she also has the PMP certification.

Where did your career begin? What prompted your initial interest in cybersecurity?

I’ve been in the IT industry for about 37 years. So, I was doing cybersecurity before it was recognized as a “thing.” I began my IT career as a computer programmer. I built applications that performed data validation to eliminate data integrity issues, credential verification that validated users, and became involved in the physical security aspects of data centers as a computer operations technician. I also learned the skill of cryptography that I was able to creatively introduce into legacy programming languages.

I’ve worked in many different industries throughout my career. When I was working for a large healthcare organization, I had the opportunity to move into cybersecurity. My CIO said, “Go get that certification and we’ll move you into InfoSec.” That journey started with obtaining my CISSP and becoming a member of (ISC)² in 2013. My (ISC)² membership has been a great enhancement to my career through continuing education and training through the (ISC)² Professional Development Institute , webinars and other information that is provided as part of my (ISC)² membership. I’ve been incorporating this knowledge into my leadership roles in information technology and information security.

Describe your volunteer journey and what encouraged you to volunteer with (ISC)²?

I began volunteering with (ISC)² as a Security Congress volunteer in 2017. I became interested in volunteering after attending the 2016 Security Congress where I recognized the gender gap in the cybersecurity workforce, specifically the number of women in cybersecurity careers. This motivated me to reach out to (ISC)² staff to find out how I could volunteer in ways that would help make a
difference. 

What volunteer roles have you participated in at (ISC)² and how has that been beneficial?

My volunteerism with (ISC)² has spanned quite a few areas. Each of these volunteer opportunities has been unique and has provided me with opportunities to meet other (ISC)² members from across the globe. It has been very rewarding!

• Security Congress Volunteer
  • Benefit: Assisting (ISC)² to ensure a successful experience for attendees and meeting other volunteers from across the globe.

• Security Congress Ambassador
  • Benefit: Similar experience to being a volunteer and provided the opportunity to share information and experiences with others as a Security Congress Ambassador.

• Security Congress Presenter
• Benefit: One especially meaningful experience that I had was meeting someone with whom I served on a panel at a prior Security Congress. I had not met this person before serving on the panel with them. When I described to this person the struggles that my local chapter was having with finances and local participation, she made a significant financial contribution that allowed us to hold several events that extended our reach and got more local members involved. It changed the course of that chapter for the better.

• President of a local (ISC)² Chapter
  • Benefit: Growing the cybersecurity community in my local area.

• Exam Item-Writing Workshop /Item-Re-writing Workshop
  • Benefits: Increasing my cyber knowledge! It’s not easy to write questions that have multiple answers to choose from . Another benefit was meeting other cybersecurity practitioners from around the world.

• Chapter Advisory Committee
  • Benefits: Helping the (ISC)² Chapter leadership team continue to enhance the programs and resources that are offered by chapters, supporting chapters that are struggling and need a little help, sharing ideas with a group of people who are all interested in making the chapter program a success.

• Global Advocacy Committee
  • Benefits: Working with the (ISC)² CEO and other leaders within the organization to create opportunities for (ISC)² to have greater influence in the advocacy of serving the global cyber security community.

Volunteering is very important to me, and I encourage all cybersecurity professionals to get involved with volunteer activities as it benefits the greater community. Having the opportunity to meet other (ISC)² members and work with the talented staff at (ISC)² has allowed me to create lasting friendships – you can’t put a price tag on that!

Where would you encourage others to spend their time volunteering at (ISC)²?

There is a diverse selection of volunteer opportunities within (ISC)². I’d like to think there is something for everyone. The thousands of (ISC)² members bring their own unique set of skills, education, and experiences that can be used in a variety of ways. I would encourage every member to just get involved!

How has your engagement with (ISC)² (including volunteering, professional networking, educational experiences, etc.) positively impacted your career?

I’ve been able to mentor people who are not as far along in their career, which has helped me build that mentoring skillset that I can apply in my workplace. I’ve also met some outstanding professionals who I’ve been able to reach out to when I’ve had questions, concerns, and even technology and staffing needs. The exposure from volunteering with (ISC)² has also led to other professional speaking engagements where I’ve been able to share experiences and further expand my professional network. 

What do you look forward to the most for (ISC)² and the cybersecurity industry?

I’m so excited that we will be able to meet for Security Congress in person this year! It will be a great event in Las Vegas, and I can’t wait to re-connect with friends and colleagues there!

As our world continues to rely on technology in almost every aspect of our lives, cybersecurity will become increasingly more important and challenging. The (ISC)² organization is helping its members to be prepared for these challenges.

Fun fact: I attended a CISSP boot camp in Orlando, FL, in 2013, where I met a fellow classmate named David Shearer. Yes, that’s the one – former CEO of (ISC)². Luckily, we both passed the exam on the first try. It was a PAPER exam!

Our volunteer portal makes it easy for anyone to become an (ISC)² Volunteer with a three-step process of creating a profile, completing an interest form, and reviewing a few important policy documents. If you’d like to become more involved with (ISC)², you can learn about many volunteer opportunities and complete a volunteer interest form .