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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Megan Kaczanowski, a cybersecurity professional in New York City. Currently, I work as a Principal Security & Compliance Engineer at Clear. Previously, I've worked as the Assistant Director of Security Strategy and Threat Modeling at Northwestern Mutual (NM), a Lead Security Architect (at NM), the Threat Intelligence Lead for the Americas at S&P Global  (and prior to that as a Threat Intelligence Analyst), and a Teaching Assistant for the NYU Bridge to Computer Science Program.

In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, yoga, and scuba diving (basically anything outdoors).

I'm also passionate about increasing the representation of underrepresented minorities in cybersecurity and in support of that goal, I founded the WiCyS New York Metro Affiliate and served as the President from 2019- 2022 (recognized as one of the top two WiCyS affiliates in 2021).

Education and Certifications

  • Currently pursuing a Masters in CS from Georgia Tech (expected graduation Dec 2025)
  • Completed the NYU Bridge Program to Computer Science with Distinction in 2019 (Discrete Math, Intro to C++, Intro to Networking, Data Structures and Algorithms)
  • BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan
  • CISSP
  • CISM
  • GIAC: Penetration Tester (GPEN)
  • Treadstone 71: Cyber Intelligence Tradecraft Professional

Previously held certifications:

  • Splunk: Core Certified User and Core Certified Power User (December 2019 - December 2021)
  • AWS: SysOps Associate, Developer Associate, Solutions Architect Associate, Security Specialty

Writing

Speaking

  • CircleCityCon (2020): How to Effectively Build a Security First Culture (2021 -  Closing Keynote): The Secret to Increasing Your Budget, Getting Promoted, and Expanding Your Team: Concise and Clear Reporting
  • Cofense Submerge (2019): Holy Mackerel: Reducing Phish Click Rates With Targeted Training, (2020): Phishing: Your Worst Anemone, named Trailblazer of the Year in 2019
  • Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) Fall Summit (2019): Branding and Marketing for Security: Building a Security-First Culture
  • FreeCodeCamp Podcast (2023)
  • FinCyber Today (2022): Building a Security Architecture Team from Zero
  • Grace Hopper Celebration (2021):  Whodunit? Investigating a Cyber Incident in 22 Minutes or Less
  • National Defense Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ND-ISAC) Fall Summit  (2020): Don’t be Koi: Are Phishing Consequences Right for Your Organization?
  • Northwestern Mutual Women in Tech Conference (2021): Whodunit? Investigating a Cyber Incident in 22 Minutes or Less, (2022): Cybersecurity 101
  • OFN Conference for the CDFI Industry (Panelist 2022): Building a Resilient CDFI Organization While Keeping the Hackers Out
  • OWASP NYC  (2019, Panel Moderator): Lessons Learned in Application Security
  • Women in Cybersecurity National Conference (2019, Lightning talk): Why Leveraging Soft Skills is Key to Succeeding in Tech, (2020, Panel): Succeeding in Times of Stress. (2024, Workshop): Choose Your Own Adventure: How Would You Handle a Ransomware Attack?

Community Involvement

  • Cyber912 Judge (An annual competition for college students put on by Columbia SIPA, Columbia Engineering, and the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative) (2021)
  • FS-ISAC FinCyber Today Conference Content Committee (2022), Annual Summit Conference Content Committee (2023)
  • GIAC Advisory Board (2021 - Present)
  • Grace Hopper Celebration Security and Privacy Committee Member (GHC19, vGHC20, vGHC21, GHC22)
  • Grace Hopper Celebration Security and Privacy Co-Chair (GHC 2023-2024)
  • NICE Planning Committee (2023)
  • Northwestern Mutual WIT Conference Content Committee (2022)
  • WiCyS NY Metro Affiliate Co-Founder and President (2019 - 2022)

Contact Me

If you have questions, comments, or just want to say hi, you can find me on Twitter, Github, or LinkedIn and if you're in New York and would like to grab coffee, please reach out!

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