AFCEA

The 75th anniversary, which AFCEA celebrates this year, is traditionally known as the diamond anniversary. As the hardest natural substance on Earth, diamonds represent strength, resolve and durability.

It is a fitting metaphor for an organization that has supported the U.S. national security and defense community since 1946, as the nation emerged, stronger than ever, from the devastation of World War II.

Seventy-five years ago, in a meeting area in the Fraunces Tavern in New York, a group of respected military and corporate leaders gathered to discuss a shared concern, one that was on the minds of many in the aftermath of war.

We live in an age defined by technology, and the dominant technology today is digital. Nation-states, multinational corporations and even small businesses are paving the way to the future through innovation. Yet sometimes, just as necessity is the mother of invention, challenge is the parent of innovation.

It is with sincere gratitude and a sense of excitement I begin my term as AFCEA International’s chairman of the board. I am looking forward to what I know will be many rewarding professional and personal experiences as chairman, and I can’t thank AFCEA’s nomination committee enough for the trust they’ve placed in me to serve in this capacity. Even more exciting, I have the good fortune of assuming the chairman role at a time of tremendous importance and opportunity for our organization. Look no further than through the pages of this 75th Anniversary issue of SIGNAL Magazine to see what I mean.

With the recent emergence of zero-trust architecture and the pivot to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity has been top-of-mind for everyone in government and industry. Cyberspace must be protected; it must be kept open to all; and it must be able to address change as it occurs.

Enter AFCEA’s Cyber Committee, a volunteer group of public and private sector information technology professionals that oversees AFCEA's outreach and helps ensure open lines of communication between the government and industry.

Editor’s Note: As AFCEA looks back on its long history, one of the pivotal decisions was to expand its reach more globally, which included formation of international chapters, creation of events in a variety of countries and establishment of an office in Brussels, Belgium, which would facilitate and grow European operations. Lt. Gen Pietro Finoccho, ITAF (Ret.), longtime president of the Rome chapter, provides details regarding his longtime involvement with AFCEA and helping to grow the Rome chapter.

A crucial part of any association’s success is its young members. The future is much more certain when there is a steady stream of bright young professionals who will continue on the mission of the association.

At AFCEA, the Emerging Professionals in the Intelligence Community Committee is tasked with just that, among other efforts. Also known as EPIC, the committee is headed by Mark Kandra.

Small businesses make up more than 99 percent of companies in the United States, but because of their size and scale, many have constraints not experienced by most larger organizations. With a small business, the margin for error is small, so they have to be extremely flexible, lean and thrifty with every resource. While their larger counterparts typically have access to a multitude of business development professionals, small businesses are limited in the time they can invest in identifying personnel, building a network, developing relationships and finding partners.

The AFCEA ROTC Honor Award is designed to recognize ROTC cadet and midshipman achievement in leadership and academics. Recipients of the ROTC Honor Award are required to be in their junior year of school and selected by individual professors of military science, naval science or aerospace studies in accordance with the appropriate service department regulations. Nominees should demonstrate high academic achievement.

In the 21st century, communicating requires technical knowledge and interpersonal skills to be effective. AFCEA’s Professional Development Center (PDC) provides ways to improve both through its Preferred Provider Program, instructor-led on-site/virtual courses, on-demand courses and continuing education sessions at events.

Rear Adm. Margaret Grun Kibben, USN (Ret.), chaplain of the House of Representatives, was only 14 when she got the call into ministry. Though she knew early on what she wanted to be, it would take years for her to own her voice and her authority.

Adm. Kibben was the first woman to do a lot of things. She was the first—and only—woman to serve as chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps; as chief of chaplains of the U.S. Navy; and in her current position as chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. But that’s not the story.

AFCEA’s Professional Development Center (PDC) is a great option to plan educational choices and future career decisions. Several programs offer training in both technical and management fields. AFCEA members may receive a discount on tuition either by using a code available within the member portal or by providing their member number to the organization.

Online on-demand courses are the latest feature of the association’s PDC options. Topics include Agile, AI/data science, communication, computer applications, emergency management, intelligence, leadership, project management, Six Sigma and Lean, and women in business.

J. Phillip "Jack" London, executive chairman and chairman of the board of CACI International, and former AFCEA board member, passed away of natural causes at age 83.

London joined CACI in 1972 as a program manager and was the company’s 35th employee. He joined the board in 1981 and was named president and CEO in 1984. In 1990, London became chairman.

He served as chairman, president and CEO for 23 years and helped grow the IT contractor into the $6.3 billion giant it is today.

Michael Daniels, a member of CACI’s board, has been elected chairman.

Building on the success of the inaugural June issue of SIGNAL Kids, AFCEA is proud to report the second issue will be released in December. The focus of the issue is cybersecurity, featuring an international section and an interview with a chief architect from the Naval Information Warfare Center.

The first issue was viewed by more than 13,000 readers and downloaded almost 200 times. AFCEA has long been committed to STEM learning and, especially in the time of COVID-19 when virtual learning is the new normal, is pleased to provide this additional resource to parents and educators.

Ciena Teacher Grants

The Ciena Grants were established to support K-12 classroom teachers with the implementation of innovative and engaging STEM programs, activities and technology (software and hardware) to promote learning and digital equality. This grant will award deserving teachers up to $1,000 to apply towards materials and resources to support STEM programs and activities. Schools with high economic need will be given priority consideration to support digital equality. Innovative distance and virtual learning projects and programs will be considered.

Intel and AFCEA Educational Foundation Veteran Diversity Graduate Scholarship

Laahiri Chalasani’s passion for STEM didn’t really begin until college. Now, as senior manager of Lab Experience at the Children’s Science Center in Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia, and co-founder of the Latina SciGirls program in Northern Virginia, she lives and breathes it. And, she wants to make sure it doesn’t take young girls until college to build their STEM confidence.

Since 2012, AFCEA has provided courses and event sessions that support continuing education for cybersecurity certification maintenance. One certifying organization supporting AFCEA is CompTIA, which reviews sessions for continuing education units (CEUs) for A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+, Cloud+, PenTest+, CySA+ and CASP+. In addition, GIAC reviews event material that may qualify as continuing professional education (CPE) for GIAC certifications, and CertNexus reviews material for continuing education credits (CECs) for CFR and CIoTP.

Diana Gowen, a legend in the government telecommunications industry and an active member of the AFCEA Budget and Finance Committee, passed away May 28 after a long battle with cancer. 

The AFCEA Educational Foundation is committed to supporting STEM learning. The foundation strives for young learners to develop an early interest and background in STEM with the Gravely and Paige Grants for STEM Teachers. The grants provide elementary and middle school teachers with resources to help them provide early STEM learning experiences to engage, inspire and build confidence in students and set them on a path to success in STEM.

The Gravely Grants for elementary school STEM teachers are named after Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely Jr., USN (Ret.), who was the foundation’s first executive director and initiated AFCEA’s science and technology teaching tool grants programs.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a ceremony and presenting an award to a local high school Junior Reserve Office Training Corps (JROTC) cadet on behalf of another organization for this cadet’s superior performance and leadership. Looking around the stage, I noticed representatives from multiple organizations all eager to recognize the efforts of these amazing young leaders with their respective groups’ awards.

Wayne Morgan Gramling, a founder of the ArkLaTex Chapter, succumbed to COVID-19 on April 19 at the age of 88.

Chief Master Sgt. Tom Gwaltney, USAF (Ret.), former AFCEA Mid-South regional vice president, passed away on March 15, 2020.

Chief Gwaltney committed his life to improving the mission and goals of AFCEA International during his more than 30 years of service to the association. He served as Mid-South regional vice president for 14 years, where he advised 67 new presidents.

He also served as the Montgomery Chapter president for three years and chapter education foundation director for 14 years. Chief Gwaltney was recognized in 2018 with the Admiral Jon L. Boyes Medal for Distinguished Service to AFCEA, which is awarded to a select few for their career service to the association.

In an effort to provide additional professional development opportunities to its members, AFCEA International now offers more than 80 online courses from MindEdge. Among the topics are Agile, business analysis, communications and computer applications. Additional courses focus on leadership, management, project management, Six Sigma and Lean processes, and women in business.

Because the courses take place online, members can complete them on demand, which affords flexibility. Courses comprise a mixture of videos, reading, questions and case studies as well as at least one quiz or test. An “Ask the Expert” feature enables course participants to access subject matter experts who respond to questions within 24 hours.

From 5K Fun Runs, golf tournaments and cycling events, to luncheons and galas, AFCEA members came together with enthusiasm in 2019 in support of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. For example, the Lexington-Concord Chapter hosted a 5K Family Fun Run for STEM, and the Dayton-Wright Chapter hosted a golf tournament to benefit its scholarship funds. In addition, the San Diego Chapter held its Fifth Annual Cycle for STEM ride, and the Los Angeles Chapter introduced its inaugural Cycling for STEM ride to fund local scholarships.

The landscape of information technology, communications and cybersecurity continues to change at an increasingly rapid pace. AFCEA recognizes this and is committed to helping our members maintain and grow their knowledge and expertise. AFCEA’s Preferred Provider program allows our members access to academic institutions that are DHS/NSA designated Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense or a cybersecurity certifying agency to continue their professional development. Our current Preferred Providers include American Public University System (APUS), Saint Leo University and SANS Institute. These institutions offer undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as certificates in areas of study that are of interest to AFCEA members.