About me
Connar McCasland is an instructor at the University of West Florida’s Center for Cybersecurity. Her career and studies are focused on cybersecurity for county and city government entities. Before her teaching career, she held a leadership role in local government, where she spearheaded a county’s cybersecurity program. There, she led significant cybersecurity projects and assisted smaller government offices with their cybersecurity programs. She often heard that cybersecurity was “only I.T.’s problem” and “too complicated.” Since then, she has made it her mission to show people how critical cybersecurity is and make it accessible. Before working for the Center, she worked for TEEX, where she trained I.T. professionals, emergency management, first responders, and citizens in cyber preparedness all around the U.S. and its territories. Beyond her professional achievements, Connar empowers and promotes other female I.T. and cybersecurity professionals by participating in the international organization Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS). She holds a B.A.S. in Cybersecurity from Pensacola State College and an M.S. in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity, specializing in Network Defense, from Capella University. She serves on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit ITGulfCoast and is a Florida IT CJIS committee member.
