NOVA Faculty Member Awarded Virginia Cybersecurity Educator Award
Dr. Marouane Balmakhtar, IET professor at the Alexandria Campus was recently awarded the “Virginia Cybersecurity Educator Award of 2022.” He also received a special letter of recognition from U.S. Senator Mark Warner. The award recognizes an educator who represents excellence in cybersecurity education within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Balmakhtar has taught at NOVA since 2015, teaching everything from introduction to network concepts and introduction to webpage design through Linux, network security and cyber law.
Balmakhtar entered the field of education with the personal mission, to “bridge the gap between academia and practice.” Having observed new graduates entering the technology workforce not exactly ready to “hit the ground running,” he thought, enough is enough! He decided to leverage his expertise as a practitioner in the workforce with his passion for education to create a parallel career path. This was his way of doing his part, which he sees as serving students and helping to build a strong next generation of much-needed cybersecurity workers.
He says his favorite things about working and teaching at NOVA are the priceless opportunities to continue to make a difference in his students’ lives as a servant leader.
Balmakhtar was quite the stellar student himself. He received his bachelor of science in computer engineering from Old Dominion University; a master of science in computer engineering from Virginia Tech; a master of science and information security management from University of Fairfax in Roanoke; a doctor of science in information assurance/cybersecurity from University of Fairfax and a doctor of philosophy in business/MIS from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
He has also been recognized by ISC2, the world’s leading cybersecurity professional organization, with the Global Achievement Award representing North America for outstanding contributions to cybersecurity and information security. This is the top award in cybersecurity in the world. He also received the VCCS Outstanding Adjunct Faculty for Excellence in Leadership, Teaching and Dedication to Student Success.
While teaching as an adjunct faculty member at NOVA, he has also worked in the fields of cybersecurity strategy and operations, product security, IT audit, disaster recovery and technology risk assessment. He has also served as a key player in end-to-end strategy for product deployment and integrated solutions at top world-class carriers and service providers.
Congratulations for this impressive award, Dr. Balmakhtar. You are an asset to NOVA’s students, and you make us proud!
Submitted by:
Kathy Thompson, Communications, KAThompson@nvcc.edu