CSC News

Nike’s Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney is Featured Labcorp Series Speaker

Please join us on October 28th at 6:30 p.m. in room 1231 in Engineering Building 2 for the second lecture in our Fall Labcorp “Leadership in Technology” Speakers Series. 

Our special guest speaker will be Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney, Senior Director, Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, Compliance, Engagement and Geos at Nike.  Her topic will be “Thriving as a Woman of Color in Tech:  Lessons from the Trenches.”

Dr. Pinkney has a bachelor's degree from NC State University, a Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech, a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola University and a Doctorate from the University of Maryland. She has over 25 years of professional experience in the Cybersecurity field, working internationally in Fortune 500 companies. She is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Bridging technology and diversity, Dr. Pinkney identifies herself as a diversity and inclusion advocate who aspires to provide mentorship and sponsorship to the underrepresented population interested in pursuing a career in technology. She is a Global and Local Keynote speaker, named as one of the Top 30 Most Admired Minority Professionals in Cybersecurity by https://sequre.world/diversity-matters-the-case-for-inclusivity-in-cybersecurity/. Dr. Pinkney considers herself a lifelong learner who seeks to help others interested in pursuing college degrees in the technology field. In an effort to give back to the community in which she was raised, Dr. Pinkney provides a four-year college scholarship to students graduating from her hometown high school. Dr. Pinkney has also created an Endowment Fund in the College of Engineering at her Alma Mater, NC State University. Dr. Pinkney is a founding member of Black Women in STEM 2.0. She also serves on the Industry Advisory Board at Florida Memorial University and the Board of Directors for the Tech Talk Association. She believes that to whom much is given, much is expected.

Abstract:  The digital divide continues to present opportunities for women interested in technology careers.  Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney will share her professional journey and lessons learned along the way for not only surviving, but thriving in the technology arena and in particular cybersecurity.  Dr. Pinkney is a DEI advocate focused on creating an environment that attracts, retains, nurtures, and supports diversity, equity and inclusion.  As a cybersecurity expert, she will share how "Being Relentless, Fearless, Connected, Global and Authentic" strategically enabled her to develop collaborative relationships with business and technical peers.

The event is free and open to the public.  Ample free parking is available on Centennial Campus after 5 pm.  For directions and more information, click here.

***Masks are required for the 'in person' talk. Consult University COVID guidelines for the current directives. If you are unable or uncomfortable joining us in person, the talk will be broadcasted live at https://go.ncsu.edu/labcorpspeakerseries. As always, talks will be videotaped and made available (pending speaker approval) on a dedicated YouTube channel.***

These lectures have been approved by the CSC Graduate Oversight Committee to count toward the required lectures for graduate students.

~coates~