TROY – Brigadier General Michael A. Stone, assistant adjutant general ? Army, Michigan National Guard, a recognized expert and leader on security topics, will be the keynote April 15 at the first Walsh College Center for Cybersecurity Leadership conference.

Among several important cybersecurity issues, Stone will address opportunities available to the state of Michigan as host of one of the first three cyber protection teams recently established by the National Guard. When fully trained, CPT members will be responsible for conducting defensive cyberspace operations, readiness inspections and vulnerability assessments as well as a variety of other cyber roles and missions.

Specifically, Stone said he would address:

Why is Michigan a leader in Unclassified Cybersecurity

Selection of the new Cyber Protection Team, what is it and why it?s important.

8570 Rule: Cross walk between DoD requirements to operate on networks and

civilian certificate like CCNA – New training business model.

Partnering with Colleges and Universities through Merit for remote content delivery

certificate factory.

Compressed timelines -Walsh College’s new curriculum and why it is so valuable.

Cite the Modelling and Simulation example and why Michigan cannot afford to miss the boat in automotive cybersecurity

The event, free and open to the public, will be held from 6-7:30 p.m., April 15, in room 199, Barry Center, on the College?s Troy, Michigan campus, 3838 Livernois.

Stone serves as Michigan?s dual status commander for domestic response situations. He is responsible for Army armories and installations, strategic communications, strategic level cyber activities and National Guard employment initiatives.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Detroit and a Juris Doctorate from the Detroit College of Law. He also earned a Master of Science in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

The CCL, one of four Walsh College research centers, was established in collaboration between the Management department and Information Technology department of Walsh College, with strong support from business, military and government leaders.

?Concerted efforts from all stakeholders are required to solve cybersecurity challenges,? said Barbara L. Ciaramitaro, Ph.D., professor, Information Technology, and director, CCL. ?The Center unites government, armed services, business, and academic experts in examining and addressing cybersecurity issues, as well as providing guidance and solutions.?

Registration is required at WalshCollege.Edu