APUS Center of Cyber Defense Executive Director Dr. Kenneth Williams Named to New Advisory Council at The Cyber AB

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Jul 21, 2022, 10:58 ET

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American Public University System today announced its Executive Director of the APUS Center for Cyber Defense, Dr. Kenneth L. Williams, has been appointed to The Cyber AB's Academic Advisory Council (AAC). The newly formed Council is an independent consortium of leaders and subject matter experts; it represents a diverse cross-section of academic institutions within the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) ecosystem.

Dr. Kenneth L. Williams, executive director of American Public University System's Center for Cyber Defense, has been appointed to the Cyber AB's Academic Advisory Council.

"I'm excited to collaborate with other cyber experts as we study how to further reduce digital risk to the Department of Defense's contractor network in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB)," said Williams, a U.S. Army veteran who serves as Interim Department Chair for Cybersecurity at APUS and holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification. "This is an area critical to our national security, and academia can play an increasingly important role to improve our posture and innovate."

The Cyber AB, the exclusive CMMC non-governmental implementation partner of the DoD, is the official accreditation body of the CMMC ecosystem. It is the sole authorized non-governmental partner of the U.S. Department of Defense in implementing and overseeing the CMMC cybersecurity standard.

"The Council is bringing together recognized leaders from higher education to confer with us as we support DoD in implementing CMMC," said Melanie Kyle Gingrich, Vice President for Training and Certification at The Cyber AB, who also serves as Chair of AAC.

Williams' appointment comes just four months after APUS announced its partnership with the U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) to help strengthen the country's cyber posture.

"I'm excited to be working closely with Dr. Williams and the many other innovative thinkers on our Council to focus on such a key issue that reaches across the cyber space," said Paul Michaels, Vice Chair of the Cyber AB and an alumnus of American Military University (AMU).

APUS offers a strong cyber-defense focused curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels through AMU and American Public University (APU). With online courses in intrusion, incident handling, IT security, and digital forensics, APUS's cybersecurity programs integrate multiple disciplines to ensure students gain the critical skills and management practices needed to effectively lead missions – in both government and businesses. APUS' Center for Cyber Defense provides program guidance and oversight, cyber defense information, collaboration, research, and outreach opportunities for students and faculty. The National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have designated APUS as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C)*.

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About American Public University System
American Public University System (APUS) delivers accessible and affordable online higher education to adult learners of all backgrounds. APUS, a five-time recipient of Online Learning Consortium's (OLC) Effective Practice Award, offers more than 200 online degree and certificate programs through American Public University as well as American Military University, the #1 provider of higher education to the U.S. military and veterans.** With over 116,000 alumni worldwide, APUS is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. APUS is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Public Education, Inc. (Nasdaq: APEI). For more information, visit www.apus.edu.

*The CAE-C designation is awarded to regionally accredited academic institutions offering cybersecurity degrees and/or certificates at the associate, bachelor's and graduate levels. This designation means that APUS has met the rigorous requirements outlined by the program's sponsor, the NSA. Designated institutions commit to producing high-quality cybersecurity professionals to safeguard the U.S. national infrastructure.

**Based on FY 2019 Department of Defense tuition assistance and Veterans Administration student enrollment data, as reported by Military Times, 2020.

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SOURCE American Public University System