The Diana Initiative 2021

We teach girls to code, capture the flag, applaud their interest in STEM and offer them scholarships to specialize in cyber/privacy fields. We teach our young girls to be the superheroes they can be, powerpuff girls and use their smarts, logic and grace to save the day in a field where the female presence is still scarce. We encourage them to be cyberpuffs and shape our future. But while there are growing learning, mentorship, and scholarship opportunities available for youth, there is a contrasting lack of them for women over 35. It is much harder for seasoned female professionals with transferable skills to find retraining, learning and advancement opportunities in the cyber field. Are we too old to use our feminine logic and organizational skills to protect our changing world? Can we become cyberpuffs at 40 plus? This presentation will discuss the state of workforce development and provide strategies for seasoned female professionals who want to find new career opportunities and advancement in cybersecurity.