On behalf of the entire team at the MassTech Collaborative, we’re sharing the bittersweet news that Stephanie Helm, the first-ever director of our MassCyberCenter, is departing MassTech at the end of January for personal reasons. We truly wish we could’ve convinced her to stay and continue her stellar work on behalf of the Commonwealth. Stephanie, Career Naval Officer Captain, USN, Ret. with expertise in cryptologic operations, came to our agency at the urging of Admiral Mike Brown, a Massachusetts-native and former Navy colleague of Stephanie’s, and who has served as the chair of the CyberCenter’s Strategy Council. We cannot thank the Admiral enough for sending ‘Captain Helm’ to us, to continue her public service career working on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Our agency is proud of the accomplishments she’s had over her 4-plus years leading the MassCyberCenter:
- The growth of the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum, which hosted its sixth annual event in 2022, bringing together hundreds of executives from across industry, government, and academia to discuss key challenges to the cyber sector.
- The launch of the Municipal Summit series to support and engage our cities and towns around ways to bolster their cyber resiliency and protect critical public assets.
- The establishment of the Cybersecurity Mentorship Program, an effort that has provided mentoring opportunities for 130-plus diverse Massachusetts undergraduates from 32 schools across Massachusetts, building our talent pipeline statewide and expanding opportunity.
- Last fall's launch of CyberTrust Massachusetts, which will further the Commonwealth’s commitment to growing and diversifying our cybersecurity workforce, and the establishment of cybersecurity Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and ranges to provide threat monitoring services for Commonwealth municipalities, small business, and non-profit customers.
Stephanie’s success through all of these efforts is tied to the strong relationships and partnerships she established across the state. Her contributions to the CyberCenter have, without a doubt, helped raise the profile of the Commonwealth’s cybersecurity capabilities nationally, bolstered our workforce, and improved the Commonwealth’s cyber readiness.
We thank Stephanie for her service to our country and to our Commonwealth. Hers are huge shoes to fill and in the interim, the CyberCenter will be managed by Ben Linville-Engler, MassTech’s Chief Investment Strategist, and programs will continue under the guidance of the talented team at the MassCyberCenter team (another of Stephanie’s legacies here at MassTech!).
Please join me in wishing Stephanie fair winds and following seas.
Thank you,
Carolyn Kirk
Executive Director
MassTech Collaborative