Alan Paller was the co-founder of the Center for Internet Security and former CIS board member, as well as the founder of the SANS Institute and SANS Technology Institute, the nation’s first regionally-accredited, specialized cybersecurity college and graduate school, and was well-known and highly respected in the industry for building the cyber talent pipeline. He is also credited with driving change in the public and private sectors that would result in quantifiable improvements in cyber resiliency.
The laureate program was established in his memory, and awards up to $250,000 annually to eligible organizations or individuals whose pilot projects, proofs of concept, or existing programs are selected through a competitive application process.
“The Alan Paller Laureate Program recognizes and encourages innovative ideas that will enhance cybersecurity capabilities needed to ensure a safe digital future, supporting society at large,” said Dr. Channing Paller, Alan’s daughter and a board member of the laureate program. “Strengthening institutional cyber capabilities nationwide offers a fitting tribute to a true pioneer in the cybersecurity industry.”
The winners of the 2023 Alan Paller Laureate Program grants are:
Stan Stahl, President of SecureTheVillage, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that will establish a pilot project to measurably improve the cybersecurity practices of small to mid-sized organizations. The program will begin with 50 organizations, with the goal of expanding the program to the greater Los Angeles region.
Jonah Wisch, Program Director of the National Cybersecurity Center, and leader of Project PISCES (Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System) in the State of Colorado. Project PISCES is a nonprofit organization committed to developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by offering hands-on experience in real-life situations while providing no-cost network monitoring to small, rural jurisdictions that can’t afford commercial cybersecurity services.
Chris Abell, Executive Director of Carroll Technology and Innovation Council, serving Carroll County and Central and Western Maryland. The nonprofit organization aims to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities in the agriculture industry in order to protect the food supply, as well as establish a summer enrichment program focused on innovating and sustaining farm operations with technology.
To learn more about the Alan Paller Laureate Program, including eligibility and the application process, visit cisecurity.org.
To speak with Dr. Channing Paller or any of the grant winners, please contact Kelly Wyland, Media Relations Manager at CIS, at kelly.wyland@cisecurity.org or call/text 518-256-6978.
About CIS:
The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS®) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through our core competencies of collaboration and innovation. We are a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Controls® and CIS Benchmarks™, globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. We lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Our CIS Hardened Images® provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC®), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (EI-ISAC®), which supports the rapidly changing cybersecurity needs of U.S. elections offices. To learn more, visit CISecurity.org or follow us on Twitter: @CISecurity.
Kelly Wyland
Center for Internet Security
518-256-6978
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