Flying High: The Women of Aerospace Cybersecurity
On Saturday, March 18th, 2023, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, the Aerospace Village will host a four-person panel, “Flying High: The Women of Aerospace Cybersecurity,” at the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys) Annual Conference. Panelists Jen Miosi from United Airlines, Teresa Merklin from Lockheed Martin, Erin Miller from Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC), and moderator Adrienne McCloud from the Aerospace Village will discuss the challenges facing aerospace cybersecurity and how attendees can help tackle those issues.
2023 marks the 10th WiCys Annual Conference. Known as the premier event to recruit, retain, and advance women in cybersecurity, the conference brings together women in cybersecurity from academia, research, government, and industry. This year’s conference will take place in Denver, Colorado, from Thursday, March 16th, to Saturday, March 18th. Over three days, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in career fairs, workshops, presentations, competitions, career guidance, and networking, to name a few activities.
Jen Miosi, Director of Aircraft Cybersecurity Operations, Third Party Risk Management, and United Express Cybersecurity
Jen joined United looking to better understand the Aviation Operator space after spending more than a decade working in the Aviation OEM sector. She has spent most of her time in the industry developing embedded software for aircraft engine control, developing aircraft engine prognostics and analytics, and supporting electronic engine control architecture definition before transitioning to a product cybersecurity career focus. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Electrical Computer Engineering from the University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering.
In addition, Jen has supported Commercial and Military aviation engineering and cybersecurity efforts, focusing on risk assessments and secure product engineering by design. She has developed a passion for the industry as a whole. She thrives in tackling strategic challenges and enjoys pushing the envelope to develop improved processes and methodologies surrounding aircraft and cybersecurity, which is a large part of her focus as an industry member and participant in several cybersecurity focused groups such as A4A, ACI, A-ISAC, ARINC, Cyber-Safety CAT, SC-216, IATA rFORUM, among others. Jen also loves people and is eager to continue mentoring and growing her team and colleagues as they embark on career journeys within Aviation and cybersecurity.
Teresa Merklin, Fellow, CISSP, CSSLP, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Cyber Range
Merklin is a Fellow attached to the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Cyber Range. The facility performs highly specialized cybersecurity testing and evaluation of DoD-embedded avionics systems. As a Fellow, she is the technical lead for Cyber Risk Assessment across the complete portfolio of Aeronautics platforms. What began with embedded software development over thirty years ago has transformed into her current role in cybersecurity. During this time, she earned a BSEE from Oklahoma State University, a Master’s of Software Engineering from Texas Christian University, and a Master’s of Business Administration with a concentration in Information Assurance from the University of Dallas.
Today Teresa’s primary focus areas are Engineering for Cyber Resiliency and Cyber Risk Assessment. She is the author of the Aeronautics Cyber Resilience Systems Engineering (ACRSE) Guidebook, which provides a conceptual overview of the integration of Cyber Resiliency Engineering techniques throughout the acquisition, development, and sustainment lifecycles. She is also the creator of cyber assessment techniques, including Mission Impact Assessment (MIA) and Cyber Check-Up.
Erin Miller, Executive Director, Space ISAC 
Erin has over a decade of experience building meaningful tech collaborations and has formed hundreds of formal partnerships between government, industry, and academia to solve problems for warfighters and national security. Currently, Erin is the Executive Director of the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Canter (ISAC), a 501(c)(6) Public-Private Partnership (P3) and the only all-threats security information source for the public and private space sector. Space ISAC is the third non-profit launch Erin has led, and she has been passionate about P3 for her entire career.
Erin was the Managing Director of the Center for Technology, Research, and Commercialization (C-TRAC) and brought three USAF-funded programs to bear at the Catalyst Campus for Technology & Innovation (www.catalystcampus.org) from 2016-2018. Her expertise in brokering unique partnerships using non-FAR type agreements led to the standup of the Air Force’s first cyber-focused design studio, AFCyberWorx, at the United States Air Force Academy, and the first space accelerator, Catalyst Accelerator, at Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs – in partnership with Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX.
In 2018 Erin was recognized by the Mayor of Colorado Springs as the Mayor’s Young Leader (MYL) of the Year Award for Technology. In addition, She received the Young Female Leader from the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Award. Two years later, Erin was a recipient of the Woman of Influence award.
Adrienne McCloud, Moderator
Adrienne is a member of the Aerospace Village and WiCys. She has a Master’s in Cybersecurity and a Master’s in Information Technology from Marymount University. Her Master’s thesis investigated the cybersecurity risk and mitigations for implementing indoor positioning systems inside the airport zone.
2023 marks the 10th WiCys Annual Conference. Known as the premier event to recruit, retain, and advance women in cybersecurity, the conference brings together women in cybersecurity from academia, research, government, and industry. This year’s conference will take place in Denver, Colorado, from Thursday, March 16th, to Saturday, March 18th. Over three days, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in career fairs, workshops, presentations, competitions, career guidance, and networking, to name a few activities.
Additional links to learn more about aerospace!
AIA Civil Aviation Cybersecurity Annual Report
AIA Aerospace Industries Association
ERAU Center for Aerospace Resilience
International Air Transport Association
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
FAA Engines & Propellers Issues List
National Air and Space Intelligence Center
Free newsletters
Department of Defense (DoD) related work:
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Overview
Aerospace is a cornerstone of our global infrastructure and economy. While passenger safety is at an all time high, the increasing adoption of connected technologies exposes aircraft, airports, and the interdependent aerospace ecosystem to new types of risks. The consequences of cybersecurity failure can impact human life and public safety; a crisis of confidence in the trustworthiness of air travel can undermine economic and (inter)national security.
Our Values
The aerospace industry, security researchers, and the public share a common goal: safe, reliable, and trustworthy aviation and space operations.
Our Goal
The Aerospace Village is a diverse community of hackers, engineers, pilots, policy leaders and more from across both the public and private sectors. We believe the flying public deserves safe, reliable, and trustworthy air travel, which is highly dependent on secure aviation and space operations.
Our Mission
Build, inspire, and promote an inclusive community of next-generation aerospace cybersecurity expertise and leaders.
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