SEASON I
COACHES
"Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling."
– Bill Belichick, New England Patriots head coach and five-time Super Bowl champion
Meet the Season I Coaching Team
Senior Tech Mentor
Suzanna Schmeelk
Current Role
- Assistant Professor and Program Director at St. John’s University in Queens
- Director M.S. Cyber and Information Security in New York City
- D.P.S./Ed.D./M.B.A., Pace/Rutgers/University of Maryland Global Campus
- 8 degrees in total: 2 doctorates, 1 M.B.A., 4 M.S. degrees, and 1 B.S. degree
- Bay Area Tech
- Government
- Public
- Healthcare
- Academics
- St. John’s University
- Rutgers University
- Parsons The New School of Design
- Cooper Union
- Touro University
- University of Maryland Global Campus
- Pace University
- New York Academy of Science
- Research mentor or teaching assistant at:
- Columbia University
- New York University
- Berkeley
- University of Richmond
- Carnegie Mellon University CERT Secure Coding
- Stanford University Advanced Cybersecurity Professional
- New York University Cybersecurity Certificate from New York State
Senior Tech Mentor
Bryson Payne
Current Role
- Professor and Director, Center for Cyber Ops, University of North Georgia
- Author of Teach Your Kids to Code and Hacking for Kids
- Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia State University
- B.S. and M.Ed. from University of North Georgia
- Coach of #1 NSA Codebreaker Challenge team, UNG CyberHawks
- Teaching Cybersecurity & Computer Science since 1998
- NSA Codebreaker Challenge (national champions 2019 & 2020)
- NSA Cyber Exercise (NCX) 2019-2021
- National Cyber League (2016-present)
- CCDC Southeast Regional Qualifiers (2017-present)
- Multiple SANS competitions (BootUp CTF, Holiday Hack, Community CTFs)
- NATO Locked Shields Partner Test Run (2018-present)
- Hack-a-Sat, All-Army CyberStakes, DEFCON OOO Qualifiers
- GREM
- GPEN
- CEH
- GRID
- CISSP
- Security+
- 2021 Alumni Distinguished Professor at UNG
- Order of Thor Award – Military Cyber Professionals Association
- Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Public Service Medal – U.S. Army Cadet Command
- Coach & faculty sponsor, Peach Belt Conference Champion UNG eSports Team 2018
- USG Chancellor’s Service Excellence Leader of the Year Award 2017
Meet the Coaches
Current Role
- Cybersecurity Program Chair at Florida Tech
- Florida Tech IoT S&P Lab Director
Education
- Ph.D./M.S., Computer Science from NC State
- M.S. from SANS Technology Institute
- B.S., Computer Science, U.S. Military Academy
Certifications
- GPYC
- GPPA
- GXPN
- GSEC
- GCIA
- GCIH
- GCFA
- GREM
- GPEN
- GWAPT
- GCFE
- GCPM
- GSE
- OSCE
- OSCP
- OSWP
Competitions
- NSA Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX)
- Red Team for SECCDC & NECCDC
- Cyber Patriots Mentor
- Coaches FITSec
Military Service
- Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel
- Served as Communications Officer at the Battalion, Group, Directorate, and Headquarters level for the U.S. Army Special Forces
ENFJs are well attuned to those around them. They are often known for their agility, responsiveness, and love for teamwork.
Current Role
- Assistant Professor, U.S. Naval Academy
- Coach, USNA Cyber Security Team
- Curriculum Committee Chair, Cyber Science Department
Education
- Ph.D. Computer Engineering (VA Tech)
- M.S. Computer Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School
- B.S. Electrical Engineering at U.S. Naval Academy
Cyber Tours
- U.S. Cyber Command
- U.S. Central Command Joint Cyber Center
Teaching Experience
- Reverse Engineering
- Pentesting for Defenders
- Computer Architecture
- Cyber Systems Engineering
- Fundamentals of Cyber Security
- Networking/Communications
- Intro Python
Certifications
- Certified Ethical Hacker
- Certified Penetration Tester
- Certified Expert Penetration Tester
- SANS GIAC (GSEC, GCIA, GAWN)
ENTJs are known for their ability to identify inefficiencies and weaknesses in both themselves and their opponents. They are direct and forceful in delivering their attacks.
Current Role
- Senior Application Security Engineer
Education
- M.S. Computer Science (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
- B.S. Computer Science (California State University, East Bay)
Certifications
- GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) certification
- GIAC Secure Software Programmer Java (GSSP-JAVA) certification
- GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT) certification
Teaching Experience
- Infosec Institute
- Drexel University teaching Mobile Security
- Cybrary
- SANS Institute
Conference Presentations
- Diana Initiative
- Bugcrowd
- Blacks in Cybersecurity
- NotPinkCon
Volunteer
- Biohacking Village
- BlackGirlsHack
- Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)
- Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu
INTJs are known for their deep perspective and masterful technique. Their calm determination ensures they hit their mark.