Former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis and other national security veterans join McCrary Institute

Former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis and former National Security Agency Director of Cybersecurity Rob Joyce are among the 13 new senior fellows announced today by the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.

Founded in 2015, the McCrary Institute at Auburn University fuses theory with practice and policy with technology to protect and advance U.S. interests in the areas of cyber and critical infrastructure security. Threat Beat is a media project of the McCrary Institute.

Recent papers produced by the D.C.-based think tank include research that lays out the comprehensive threat from the People’s Republic of China and encourages a more thoughtful offensive cyber strategy, as well as a report from December 2024 that laid out a blueprint for the incoming administration.

The newest slate of senior fellows also includes leaders from the FBI and other agencies in the Intelligence Community as well as private-sector leaders with deep experience in cybersecurity startups, ransomware and artificial intelligence.

“The McCrary family is growing and I couldn’t be more excited about the highly respected and deeply thoughtful members of the national security and cybersecurity communities joining us as senior fellows,” said McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo. “Each has incredible credentials but, more importantly, each of them is driven by a desire to take on the challenging issues that will help defend the systems that power our national and economic security, our communities and our way of life. Their wisdom drives the practical, forward-looking recommendations our government and industry partners have come to expect from us.”

The new senior fellows are: 

• Scott Aaronson, Senior Vice President, Energy Security and Industry Operations, Edison Electric Institute (EEI) 
• Chris Cleary, Vice President, Global Cyber Practice, ManTech, former Principal Cyber Advisor, Department of the Navy 
• David Colberg, Vice President, Global Government Affairs & Public Policy, Alteryx
• Jennifer Flandermeyer, Director, Cyber Intelligence, Government Affairs & Assessments, NextEra Energy, Inc.
• Laura Galante, Principal, WestExec Advisors, former Director, Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
• Ryan Gillis, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Government Partnerships, Zscaler, former Director on the National Security Council
• Lauren Goldman, former Director of Analytic Integration, Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
• Hon. Chris Inglis, first U.S. National Cyber Director, former Deputy Director, National Security Agency
• Rob Joyce, Founder, Joyce Cyber, former Director of Cybersecurity, National Security Agency
• Cynthia Kaiser, Senior Vice President, Ransomware Research Center, Halcyon, former Deputy Assistant Director, Cyber Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Matthew Kemph, Vice President, Mission Partnership Operations, In-Q-Tel
• David Luber, Founder, Luber Cyber, former Director of Cybersecurity, National Security Agency 
• Anna Sarnek, Cyber Business Development Lead, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Full bios of the all senior fellows can be found at the McCrary Institute’s website.