President: Rae Baker
Rae has worked as a full-time Graphic Design Manager for over 15 years and she runs her own freelance design company servicing local businesses in Pennsylvania’s coal region. She is a Penn State World Campus student pursuing an Associates in IST with the intent to continue on to a Bachelors in Risk Analysis focusing on Cyber Security. Rae resides in Pottsville, PA (although her heart belongs to Quakertown in Bucks County) with her 2 dogs, husband, and two children. Her hobbies include CrossFit, Powerlifting, drawing/painting, binging tv shows, and all things true crime. Rae has fond memories of playing with her dad’s Commodore 64 computer in the ’80s which sparked her life-long love for technology
Vice President: Ron Long
Ron worked as a Law Enforcement Officer for over 20 years and is currently the owner of a Private Investigations company in Texas. Ron is an avid leatherworker, and enjoys spending time with his friends and family in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. He is seeking his Bachelor’s degree through Penn State World Campus in Security and Risk analysis with a focus in Cyber Security.
Secretary: Faith Konidaris
Treasurer: Nicholas Dzienis
Nicholas is a submarine communications specialist and IT instructor in the United States Navy. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Security and Risk Analysis with a focus in cybersecurity from Penn State World Campus. Nicholas is serving in CT with his wife, 3 children, and dog, all of whom cannot wait to get back to PA. He enjoys spending his time outdoors with his family camping, hiking, and hunting.
Event Chair: Maria Soyoso-Capuder
Driven with many talents from singing to playing numerous musical instruments. She enjoys photography, travelling, discovering different culture and cuisine. Her passion involves combatting against Human Trafficking, supporting events that involve Women transitioning into digitalized environments, as well as encouraging children on the responsible use of technology, particularly in Cybersecurity. She is also active in participating training such as Hacker Halted where she met and trained with other Ethical Enthusiasts to fight against Illegal Hackers. She is currently serving on the Student Advisory Board, where she also serves on the Governance Committee.
Retention and Engagement: Kevin Queen
Kevin has worked in numerous diverse fields, from professional kitchens, running IT, and working in the IT sector in training development, management, and Support. He also has a background in Customer Service and believes in the concept of “every job being customer service” thanks to his training at Marriott Intl. Outside of work he has a passion for computers and technology, Anime, History, Politics, and Gaming.
Adviser: Professor Michael Hills
After spending almost 30 years in the United States Air Force, retired Lieutenant Colonel Mike Hills earned his doctorate in information sciences and technology (IST) from Penn State. Professor Hills spent his military career serving as a cyber-operations officer in the United States Air Force. Now he’s a senior lecturer in IST, teaching a mix of online and residential classes. He’s not only imparting his academic knowledge to his students but also sharing his extensive military experience. He often weaves this into his classes, including when he was transitioning the United States’ nuclear weapons systems to handle the Y2K crisis.
“It was starting to hurt, running with the young pups in the Air Force. So I said maybe it’s time for me to figure out what I want to do next,” he said. That’s when David Hall, former dean of IST, offered him a job as an adjunct professor, teaching IST courses through Penn State’s World Campus in 2014. “Then, upon retirement from the Air Force, I became a full-time professor and I’ve never looked back.”