2026 Virginia Cybersecurity Education Conference

Cybersecurity is the only subject we all agree matters but somehow we keep calling it optional. This session is the argument for why it should be a mandatory subject, and what it actually looks like.

Drawing from work across Virginia public schools, the University of Mary Washington, Virginia Commonwealth University, The White House Communication Agency, Microsoft and Nehlos a Cybersecurity company, this session makes the case that cybersecurity belongs in the core curriculum, not as a specialty track for students who already know to look for it, but as a foundational skill alongside reading, writing, and math. The workforce shortage is real. The equity gap is real. Every graduate, will work in environments where basic cyber literacy is non-negotiable. We just haven't updated the syllabus to reflect that yet.

Attendees will walk through practical models for K–12 integration, community college pathways, and higher education general education requirements, along with work-based learning bridges that connect mandatory coursework to industry certification and real employment pipelines.This session is designed for K–12 educators, curriculum coordinators, higher education faculty, and workforce development professionals who are ready to stop having the same conversation and start building something different.