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Connar McCasland

Biography

Connar McCasland (MSIAC, CSIE, CISSP) is a seasoned instructor at the University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity. Her impactful career spans public and private sectors, particularly excelling in cybersecurity for county and city government entities. Before her teaching career, she held a leadership role in local government, where she spearheaded the county's cybersecurity program. Connar demonstrated a keen understanding of the challenges faced by government organizations in safeguarding digital infrastructure. While in this role, employees often told her cybersecurity was "only I.T.'s problem" and "too difficult to understand." It was then a new challenge for her to show people how important it was for organizations and individuals to understand how to protect themselves in a digital age. Since then, she has made it her mission to make cybersecurity accessible to all and wants to show people how easy cyber can be. Before working for the Center, she traveled across the U.S. and its territories, training I.T. departments, emergency management, first responders, and average citizens in cybersecurity and cyber preparedness. Beyond her professional achievements, Connar actively works to empower and promote other female I.T. and cybersecurity professionals, mentoring women and participating in the international organization Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS). She holds a B.A.S. in Cybersecurity from Pensacola State College and an M.S. in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity with a specialization in Network Defense from Capella University

Education

B.A.S, Cybersecurity
Pensacola State College, 2020

M.S., Information Assurance and Cybersecurity - Specialization: Network Defense
Capella University, 2022

Community Leadership

Loring Job Corps – Workforce Development Council Member
Florida CJIS Committee

MEMBERSHIPS

Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS)
Information Technology Association of the Gulf Coast (IT Gulf Coast), Board Member, (2024-Present)
InfraGard
National Society of Leadership and Success