Fourth Annual Aiken Business Leadership Symposium

Aiken, SC (02/28/2022) — The University of South Carolina Aiken (USC Aiken) School of Business Administration's (SOBA) fourth annual Aiken Business Leadership Symposium (ABLS) was held on Thursday, February 24, at the university campus. This year's theme was "Cybersecurity and Us."

The day-long event brought students and business leaders together for a series of engaging seminars and workshops. ABLS is designed so that students, businesses, and interested community members have the opportunity to gain new insights into the world of business and the role of leadership.

This year's symposium was a hybrid event with morning sessions conducted in person and afternoon sessions live-streamed. Speakers at the event shared their expertise in policies, funding, and protections.

Dr. Sanela Porca, interim dean of SOBA, Dr. Daniel Heimmermann, chancellor at USC Aiken, and Governor Henry McMaster, presented opening remarks. The keynote address was delivered by Charles Munns, vice admiral and previous president and chief executive officer of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. Jessie J. Knight, Jr., visiting executive in residence, was the featured speaker for in-person sessions.

Online sessions included the following presentations: "The Role of the Federal Government in Securing US Cybersecurity," by Joe Wilson, representative of the Second Congressional District of South Carolina; "US Cybersecurity & Legislation," by Congressman William Timmons, representative of the Fourth Congressional District of South Carolina; "Why Cybersecurity is Hard and What You Can Do About It," by Ed Skoudis, president of SANS Technology Institute, CEO & founder of Counter Hack; "Cybersecurity Journey," by Sole Angel, senior global sales operations manager at HackerOne; and "Intelligence & Cybersecurity in the US Armed Forces," by David May, senior cyber intelligence advisor, US Army Cyber Center of Excellence, US Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Gordan, GA.

Dr. Porca expressed her pleasure at how the event turned out. "The students at USC Aiken and the Aiken community had the unique opportunity to learn about cybersecurity and the leadership roles within it," she said. "We at SOBA would especially like to extend our gratitude to Governor Henry McMaster, Congressman Joe Wilson, and Congressman William Timmons for taking the time to offer their insights on legislative initiatives regarding cybersecurity in our state and nation."

The next ABLS has been scheduled for March 2, 2023.

Media Attachments

Dr. Sanela Porca, interim dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina Aiken