Dr. Cheryl Cooper
Business Information Security Officer and Author at T-Mobile Corporation
Computer & Network Security
Education: Doctorate
Kansas City, MO, USA
Biography
Dr. Cheryl C is a United States Navy Veteran, and holds a doctorate in Computer Science with a concentration in Information Assurance. Her dissertation investigated the growing problem of information privacy management and its variation by age group using a quantitative casual comparative methodology, to establish cause and effect. Understanding this variation impacts current philosophical, legal, and technological debates about security and privacy relative to smartphones. She holds a Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice, with a Specialization in Cybercrime from South University, graduating with honors, and a Masters of Arts in Business Administration (MBA) from Webster University. She is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), under the governing body of the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), and a Certified Information Systems Security Auditor (CISSA).
Dr. Cooper is currently employed with T-Mobile Corporation as a Business Information Security Officer. She has 20 years of telecommunications and Cyber security experience. She is also an adjunct professor with teaching course curriculum under Cyber Security degree programs. She brings unique experience from instructional to practical experience. As President of Women in Security Mentors Inc., she advocates for women and minorities to pursue careers in cybersecurity and technology through workshops and summits.
She has spoken at events and conferences such as the Women in Telecom Conference following the event of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centers, speaking lessons learned. Recently she has spoken on the topics of Ransomware, DDoS, Phishing, Security Awareness, and trends with closing the race and gender gap in cybersecurity.
Author of Hooded to Hooded, found on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW23RTRW?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_QM0KBWCTACE8ZREE4NYZ
Passion
I am passionate about helping others and have demonstrated this through my works in the community with encouraging women and minorities to pursue careers in STEM. Some of my works in the community can be found at Women in Security Mentors website, http://www.winsmentors.org
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
Everything is negotiable
Topics
Best Story
An interesting story about me is how as a Black woman growing up in the inner city where the fabric of the culture is riddled with violence and drugs, to how I was left alone as a urban city, damaged single parent in the streets after the father of my daughter and husband was shot and killed, to becoming a Navy veteran. I later suffered years of PTSD after being sexually assaulted in the military. Today holding a PhD with the letters "Dr" in front of my name. I wrotec my memoir so that girls who look like me, see that our dreams are possible, that we have choices, and we have the choice to write our story.
Origin Story
As President of Women in Security Mentors Inc., I founded the organization when I identified women were underrepresented, and there existed a greater gap with women of color. Women are estimated to represented the career field at 20 percent. African Americans and Hispanics are only represented in the single digits. I was often asked from men and women how do I get started with a career in cyber. I also identified that students attending public schools, or predominately Black communities were not exposed to cybersecurity careers or professions that would lead to good paying jobs. I saw a need to "Pay backwards" to help young girls who would come behind me with providing them the resources, guidance, and tools to succeed.
Example talks
My Road from the Urban Hood to a PhD and a Cybersecurity Thought Leader : The Power to Choose
In this talk, Dr. Cooper will talk about overcoming unhealthy circumstances to develop a successful career in cybersecurity –– how she rose from the hood to a female Founder. She’ll explore the dynamics of the race and gender gap in cybersecurity at all levels of the organizational ecosystem. Dr. Cheryl Cooper provides a captivating conversation on how the “Hood” made her, the importance of mentors, allies, and the representation of the woman in STEM and cybersecurity. It took her a while to learn that she determines her destination through choice. Her younger years were plagued with unhealthy decisions that caused harm to her and those around me. As she navigated young adulthood and motherhood, she made better choices that would pave the way for her future success. These lessons helped her to step into her power as a woman as she built confidence and learned to use her voice. There is no escaping that traveling through the intersectionality of being Black and a woman influenced her career and personal growth in profound ways. Now she shines as Dr. Cheryl Cooper, a woman making social impact that is changing what is possible for women.
It is said that we have defining moments in our life. Those moments of time when a circumstance presents itself that forces us to decide. Dr. Cooper will share a few of her defining moments from her memoir, and the choices that followed. Those choices yielded powerful lessons.