The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida, is housed at the University of South Florida and works on behalf of the state to advance Florida as a leader in cybersecurity innovation, education, and research.
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida, was created by the Florida State Legislature in 2014 within the University of South Florida to help Florida become a national leader in cybersecurity education, academic and practical research, and community outreach and engagement. While part of the University of South Florida, Cyber Florida works on behalf of the State of Florida at large, often carrying out special projects for the Florida Legislature to help Florida's citizens, businesses, and organizations stay safer in cyberspace. Cyber Florida engages a large network of public and private partners to achieve our goals, spanning public organizations such as law enforcement, public school districts, and state, county, and local government, as well as private companies that provide services and contribute to Florida’s growing cyber-related economy.
We support and facilitate academic research that contributes to our nation’s competitive edge and conduct studies that yield new insights into cybercrime, privacy, user behavior, and organizational needs to help craft local, state, and national policy. We work to build a robust pipeline of future professionals by introducing cybersecurity and career awareness programs in K–12 schools and helping Florida’s public colleges and universities offer degree and certificate programs that produce ready-to-hire graduates. We create new, more accessible career pathways for career changers to enter the field, helping to address our nation’s critical cyber workforce shortage. We support and facilitate academic research that contributes to our nation’s competitive edge and conduct studies that yield new insights into cybercrime, privacy, user behavior, and organizational needs to help craft local, state, and national policy. Lastly, we engage millions of Floridians through cyber safety awareness campaigns and host events and provide resources to help protect populations and organizations most vulnerable to cybercrime, such as small businesses, local governments, and senior citizens.
Legislation, Mission & Goals
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity was established by the state legislature (Chapter 1004.444) in June 2014 to “position Florida and its related workforce as a national leader in cybersecurity through education, research, and community engagement.” Established under the auspices of the University of South Florida (USF), the center was charged to work with all 12 State University System of Florida (SUS) institutions to:
Assist in the creation of jobs in the state’s cybersecurity industry and enhance the existing cybersecurity workforce.
Act as a cooperative facilitator for state business and higher education communities to share cybersecurity knowledge, resources, and training.
Seek out partnerships with major military installations to assist, when possible, in homeland cybersecurity defense initiatives.
Attract cybersecurity companies to the state with an emphasis on defense, finance, health care, transportation, and utility sectors.
These words, taken directly from Chapter 1004.444 of the 2014 Florida Statutes, are the basis for our three primary mission areas—education, research, and outreach.
In July 2024, Statute 1004.444 was updated to the following:
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, which may also be referred to as ‘Cyber Florida,’ is established within the University of South Florida, under the direction of the president of the university or the president’s designee.
The mission and goals of the center are to:
Position Florida as the national leaders in cybersecurity and its related workforce primarily through advancing and funding education and research and development initiatives in cybersecurity and related fields, with a secondary emphasis on community engagement and cybersecurity awareness.
Assist in the creation of jobs in the state’s cybersecurity industry and enhance the existing workforce through education, research, applied science, and engagements and partnerships with the private and military sectors.
Act as a cooperative facilitator for state business and higher education communities to share cybersecurity knowledge, resources, and training.
Seek out research and development agreements and other partnerships with major military installations and affiliated contractors to assist, when possible, in homeland security defense initiatives.
Attract cybersecurity companies and jobs to this state, with an emphasis on the defense, finance, health care, transportation, and utility sectors.
Conduct, fund, and facilitate research and applied science that leads to the creation of new technologies and software packages that have military and civilian applications and that can be transferred for military and homeland defense purposes or for sale or use in the private sector.
Upon receiving a request for assistance from the Department of Management Services, the Florida Digital Services, or another state agency, the center is authorized, but may not be compelled by the agency, to conduct, consult on, or otherwise assist any state-funded initiatives related to:
Cybersecurity training, professional development, and education for state and local government employees, including school districts and the judicial branch; and
Increasing the cybersecurity effectiveness of the state’s and local governments’ technology platforms and infrastructure, including school districts and the judicial branch.
Leadership & Governance
Cyber Florida is administered by the University of South Florida and has a leadership and governance structure that represents the center's diverse stakeholders across academia, government, and the private sector.
Dr. Sriram Chellappan, Executive Director
Dr. Sriram Chellappan is the executive director of Cyber Florida at the University of South Florida (USF) and a professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing at USF in Tampa, Florida, where he also directs the SCoRe (Social Computing Research) group. His primary research interests lie in AI, cybersecurity, and their applications to healthcare, education, and workforce development. Dr. Chellappan’s research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Florida Department of Education, Army Research Office, National Security Agency, and more. He received the PhD degree in Computer Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2007. Dr. Chellappan received the NSF CAREER Award (2013), the USF Excellence in Innovation Award (2021), and the USF Distinguished Service Award (2023-2024).
The Senior Leadership Team
The Senior Leadership Team comprises the center's senior director and five operational area directors, who oversee the center's ongoing operations.
Ernie Ferraresso
SENIOR DIRECTOR
A retired US Marine Intelligence Officer, Ernie brings decades of cybersecurity expertise and leadership experience as he drives the center's strategic growth and leads its operations.
As the senior director of Cyber Florida, Ernie drives the organization’s strategic vision while overseeing the center’s day-to-day operations. He started with Cyber Florida in 2017 as associate director of programs and partnerships and brings decades of technology expertise and leadership experience to his role.
Prior to Cyber Florida, Ernie worked for a small technology design and integration firm as the Director of Operations, overseeing the design and implementation of cybersecurity and emergency operations center technology solutions in the U.S. and throughout Latin America.
He is a retired U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer who served in the U.S. and abroad. His work included assignments with the U.S. Special Operations Forces, the intelligence community, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, and U.S. Cyber Command.
Kate Whitaker
DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH
Kate is a senior communications professional who oversees the center's marketing, social media, outreach, and public awareness efforts.
Kate Whitaker is a senior communications professional with over 25 years of experience in higher education, nonprofits, and government. Specializing in communicating complex scientific and technical ideas and information to various audiences, Ms. Whitaker is an expert in program development, project management, digital media, media relations, and internal and external communications. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded a variety of comprehensive branding, fundraising, and event and program outreach campaigns across multiple channels to a spectrum of stakeholders. She holds a BA in English and an MBA in Management.
At Cyber Florida, she leads a team of talented professionals who promote the center’s activities and accomplishments and conduct statewide public awareness campaigns, events, and programs to encourage better cyber-self-defense among organizations and individuals.
Evelyn Curry
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & ANALYTICS
A former member of the US Air Force, Evelyn is an expert in governing technical infrastructures and mitigating organizational risks and oversees the center's business operations.
Evelyn's career started in the United States Air Force, where she specialized in the logistics and security of nuclear missiles. In her civilian career, she has specialized in governing technical infrastructures and mitigating organizational risks. She joined Cyber Florida as a Senior Business Analyst in 2020, focusing on promoting sustainability and operational excellence through Organizational Change Management. Today, she holds an MBA and serves as the Director of Cyber Operations and Analytics.
James "Jim" Aldrich
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Jim joined the center in July 2022 after serving over 50 years in the Intelligence Community (IC) across a variety of positions focused on Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and cybersecurity. He oversees the center's education and workforce programs.
Jim joined the Center in July 2022 after serving over 50 years in the Intelligence Community (IC) in a variety of positions focused on Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Cyber Security missions, as well as associated Education & Training. He is a retired Marine Corps Intelligence Officer and Arabic linguist who served for 28 years in a wide range of assignments in the U.S. and overseas. After retiring in 1998, he worked for the Aerospace Corporation supporting the National Reconnaissance Office from 1998-2002 and then became a National Security Agency (NSA) employee for 20 years; the last 18 as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES). He held several positions spanning the agency’s SIGINT and Cyber Security missions: NSA Representative to U.S. Special Operations Command, NSA Representative to U.S. Transportation Command, and NSA Representative (forward deployed) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. In these roles, he evaluated the customers’ requirements and ensured agency resources were applied, where possible. 2004 – 2010 Jim served as the senior NSA official in Operations at the agency’s facility on Fort Gordon, Georgia, focused largely on support to USSOCOM, USCENTCOM, and JSOC. Based on his breadth of experience and previous work as both an Instructor and Course Director, he was selected to serve as the Deputy Commandant of NSA’s National Cryptologic University, responsible for orchestrating Education & Training to over 40,000 civilians and military members working with the agency. In his last assignment at NSA, his office provided strategic planning support to the NSA Board of Directors and several large NSA organizations located both in the U.S. and overseas. Jim is a graduate of Texas A&M (BA in International Relations) and the U.S. Naval War College (MA in National Security & Strategic Studies) and has also completed several Senior Executive-level leadership courses sponsored by the IC and DoD. He has been married to his wife Marilyn since 1973. Jim & Marilyn both grew up in farm country in southeastern Illinois. They live near Center Hill, Florida, on a 14-acre horse farm. They have three adult children, ten grandchildren, and a growing number of great-grandchildren.
James Jacobs
DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS & POLICY
James leads the center’s public policy research and partnership efforts. He also serves as the center's government affairs liaison and facilitates the center’s advisory and governance support bodies.
As the Director of Policy and Partnerships at Cyber Florida, James manages the team responsible for leading the center’s public policy research and partnership efforts. In addition, he serves as the center's government affairs liaison and facilitates the center’s advisory and governance support bodies.
James brings a decade of expertise and leadership in education, community relations, policy development, and advocacy to his role.
Prior to Cyber Florida, James served as the Government Affairs Manager for a major regional water supplier, overseeing all the agency’s federal and state lobbying efforts and coordinating all the agency’s grant development initiatives. He has a wealth of experience in the policy process and has served in various staff roles in both legislative and executive offices at the state and federal levels.
James holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in history and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida. He is actively pursuing his PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of South Florida. At Cyber Florida, she leads a team of talented professionals who promote the center’s activities and accomplishments and conduct statewide public awareness campaigns, events, and programs to encourage better cyber-self-defense among organizations and individuals.
Bruce Caulkins, PhD
DIRECTOR OF CYBER SOLUTIONS & TECHNOLOGY
A retired US Army Colonel and accomplished university faculty member, Bruce oversees the center's technology-based training and workforce development efforts, such as the ARCS Range and SOCAP.
A retired US Army Colonel and accomplished university faculty member, Dr. Caulkins has served as the Director of Cyber Solutions & Technology at Cyber Florida at the University of South Florida (USF) since October 2023. Previously, he worked as an Associate Research Professor at the University of Central Florida and created and taught four of the five graduate courses within the UCF Behavioral Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate Program from its inception in 2015 until 2023, a program that is still running strong to this day. Dr. Caulkins is a retired Colonel with over 28 years of active-duty experience in communications, computer security, cyber defense and education, cyber strategy, and cyber exercises.
Academic Directors
Academic Directors are affiliated faculty members who provide subject matter expertise, guidance, and program leadership in specific areas.
