SecureTheVillage Awarded "Certificate of Recognition" by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at Annual Cybersecure LA Conference

LOS ANGELES - Nov. 27, 2018 - PRLog -- SecureTheVillage was presented with a "Certificate of Recognition" by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for its leadership, effort, and contributions in making the City of Los Angeles safer from cyber-criminals.

The Certificate of Recognition was presented to Dr. Stan Stahl, SecureTheVillage founder and President, by Jacob Finn, Los Angeles Cybersecurity Policy Manager, Office of the Mayor, on October 25^th at Cybersecure LA 2018.

Cybersecure LA 2018 was a joint presentation of SecureTheVillage and the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School with its innovative Cyber Risk Professional (CyRP) Certificate. SecureTheVillage holds its Cybersecure LA Conference in October as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Mayor Garcetti awarded the "Certificate of Recognition" to SecureTheVillage and its founder, Dr. Stan Stahl, in recognition of the following:

• For SecureTheVillage's many Cyber Guardian programs and its many free information security management resources for stakeholders from all sectors

• As an Advisory Board Member of the Los Angeles Cyber Lab and a critical contributor to the lab's threat information sharing, stakeholder outreach, and education initiatives

• For its exceptional efforts making the city safer from cyber attacks and its altruistic attempts to give back to the community through knowledge of cybersecurity.

About SecureTheVillage

SecureTheVillage was founded as a nonprofit by Citadel Information Group in 2015 with the mission of a cybersecure Los Angeles. It accomplishes its mission by turning individuals and organizations into Cyber Guardians having the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to meet the ongoing challenges of cybercrime, cyber privacy and information security.

SecureTheVillage also has a second vital objective: To be a role model for other communities.

Guided by a Leadership Council of leading cybersecurity, business, technology, and law enforcement professionals, SecureTheVillage provides a variety of outreach and education programs to the community.

• Executive Focus Groups to support the Chief Executive who must provide the leadership required to turn their organizations into cyber guardians.

• Information Security Management Webinar Series: A monthly practical real-world action-focused webinar to guide senior managers and others having responsibility for cybersecurity management.

• Enterprise-Focused Cyber Guardian Programs designed to provide business leaders and professionals with the information and knowledge they need to be cyber guardians.

• Community-Based Cyber Guardian Programs to train the broader community in basic cybersecurity defense practices for themselves and their families, helping them become cyber-aware citizens.

• Financial Services Cybersecurity Roundtable: A bimonthly information sharing and networking meeting supporting improved cybersecurity of financial systems.

• Cybersecurity Speakers Bureau making experts available to organizations wishing to provide cybersecurity awareness to their constituencies.

SecureTheVillage publishes several free Information Security Management Resources:

• Information Security Management ResourceKit helps information security managers and leaders better secure their organizations by offering best practices and practical solutions for managing information risk.

• Information Security Management Webinar Library of monthly webinars, correlated with the ResourceKit.

• Code of Basic IT Security Management Practices designed to document a 'minimum acceptable level of IT security management' for use by both buyers (CFOs, COOs, etc) and sellers (IT vendors, MSPs, in-house IT) of IT services. Based on the CIS-20, not following the code is the equivalent of drinking and driving.

SecureTheVillage collaborates with law enforcement, including the F.B.I., the Secret Service, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office; local cybersecurity organizations like the Los Angeles Cyber Lab; educational institutions like Pepperdine University Graziadio, the UCLA Extension Department of Business, Management & Legal Programs, and College of the Canyons; national organizations like the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA); and international organizations like the Center for Internet Security.

About Citadel Information Group

Citadel Information Group, based in Los Angeles, CA, provides information security management services to businesses and the not-for-profit community.

Founded in 2002 by Stan Stahl, Ph.D., and Kimberly Pease, CISSP, the firm's mission is to deliver Information Peace of Mind ® to its clients.

Citadel provides a full complement of information security management services extending from the boardroom to the firewall. These include vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, staff awareness training, security management of the IT network, strategic management and leadership, policies and standards, incident response and business continuity planning, secure application development, CISO-for-Rent, Virtual-CISO, and other information security management services.

The firm combines deep subject matter expertise, management proficiency, and, above all, leadership talent in helping an organization adapt to the new reality of cybercrime and other cyber risks.

About Los Angeles Cyber Lab

Launched in August 2017, the Los Angeles Cyber Lab is the first of its kind public-private-partnership. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting personal and protected information from malicious cyber threats by facilitating and promoting innovation, education, and information sharing between Los Angeles' public and private sectors for the benefit of all our city's businesses and residents.

LA Cyber Lab is dedicated to sharing the latest cybersecurity threat data, alerts, and intelligence gathered by the City of Los Angeles and its partners.  A Board of Advisors, led by Mayor Eric Garcetti and consisting of leadership from over 28 top Los Angeles businesses and government officials, develops policy and practices to help guide the LA Cyber Lab's mission.  Membership is open to all businesses and LA residents at no cost.

About Pepperdine Graziadio Cyber Risk Professional (CyRP) Certificate

Pepperdine's innovative Cyber Risk Professional Certificate (CyRP) Program prepares graduates to become the driving force against the accelerating problem of potential cyber threats in their organization. Regardless of industry or technical background, CyRP prepares business leaders to effectively identify, evaluate, prepare for, and mitigate cybersecurity threats.

About Dr. Stan Stahl

A true cybersecurity pioneer, Dr. Stan Stahl has been at the forefront of information security for nearly 40 years:

• Securing the nation's defenses in the Reagan White House, Cheyenne Mountain, and our nuclear weapons arsenal
• Securing the business and nonprofit community as Founder and President of Citadel Information Group, a leading LA-based information security management services company
• Providing cybersecurity leadership to Los Angeles as Founder and President of the nonprofit, SecureTheVillage.

Stan has a long history of cybersecurity leadership, including serving for 9 years as President of ISSA-LA. Recognizing that our cybersecurity challenges could only be met by engaging the entire community, ISSA-LA, under Stan's leadership, developed a Community Outreach Program to support collaboration between the business community, cybersecurity professionals, and law enforcement. In 2015, this program became SecureTheVillage.

In addition to his community leadership through SecureTheVillage, Stan serves on the Advisory Boards of Los Angeles Cyber Lab and Pepperdine Graziadio Business School's innovative Cyber Risk Certificate Program.

A cybersecurity thought leader and engaging speaker, Stan is regularly quoted in the media on cybercrime, cyber privacy and information security.

Stan received his Ph.D. degree in mathematics from The University of Michigan. Prior to entering the aerospace industry Stan taught mathematics at Smith and Mt. Holyoke Colleges.