CTO Fraser, CISO Moan Honor Newest NYC Cyber Academy Class Featuring 29 City Employees

February 8, 2024

Graduates from 50 city agencies have received specialized training to defend against threats to their offices

NEW YORK – New York City Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew Fraser and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Kelly Moan today celebrated the graduation of the second-ever NYC Cyber Academy featuring 29 city employees whose enhanced training and knowledge will strengthen the cyber resilience of their individual agencies and city government overall. The four-week program, created and run by NYC Cyber Command, aims to expand and upskill the city’s cybersecurity workforce and cultivate closer collaboration between city cyberdefenders and NYC Cyber Command. In accordance with Mayor Adams’ Executive Order 10 (EO10), Cyber Academy has trained 50 Cyber Liaisons to date.

“New York City is the safest big city in the nation thanks to the round-the-clock vigilance of our highly trained cyberdefenders throughout city government,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “Today’s Cyber Academy graduation represents our lasting commitment to growing the knowledge and skills of our cyber workforce and fostering deeper cross-agency collaboration to better protect the critical infrastructure and essential services that 8 million New Yorkers depend upon each day. I congratulate all of the graduates and thank NYC CISO Kelly Moan and her team for their hard work on this important program.”

“Cybersecurity is the ultimate team sport — and that’s evidenced in New York City by the success of our NYC Cyber Academy program,” said New York City Chief Information Security Officer Kelly Moan. “With each new class, Cyber Academy bolsters cyberdefense across our city government landscape by supplying employees with the requisite training to successfully partner with NYC Cyber Command to keep our city, its systems, and its people safe. Congratulations to this excellent new class of graduates!

“Congratulations to all of this year’s Cyber Academy graduates!” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “This new cohort will protect our city's essential services and critical infrastructure, making sure we can keep our cherished outdoor spaces accessible, clean, and safe for all New Yorkers, regardless of cyber threats. Cybersecurity is so important to us at Parks, and these graduates will play a vital role ensuring the safety and integrity of our digital infrastructure. We’re proud to collaborate with the Mayor’s Office to safeguard New York City's public spaces, both on the ground and in cyberspace.”

“I am thrilled to join the Office of Technology and Innovation to celebrate the achievements of the latest graduates of the Cyber Academy!” said New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “Through their dedication and commitment, they have not only enhanced their own skills but also fortified our collective resilience in the ever-evolving landscape of technology. Their graduation marks a significant milestone in our journey towards safeguarding our digital future.”

“As we continue to move more of our services online, it has never been more important to protect the integrity of our agency’s data,” said New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “I commend the OTI Cyber Command’s proactive approach to improving cybersecurity across City agencies. Knowing we have DOB staff among this cohort of Cyber Academy graduates means we can rest assured that when online threats come to our doorstep, we have personnel ready and trained to thwart them.”

“As we continue to build out more services and ways for New Yorkers to interact with us online, it’s vital we ensure the safety of our internet-based infrastructure,” said New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “Thank you to OTI and our own Siew Basant for serving as our agency’s Cyber Command Liaison and working to defend us against cyber threats.”

“Cybersecurity is critical to the City’s operations and therefore to all New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. “This second Cyber Academy Class is an important part of the City’s efforts to ensure the use of best practices across all agencies and I am proud that DOI’s Director of Cyber and Information Security Samuel Latortue could participate in this training. Congratulations to all the graduates!”

“The tech sector is a vital part of New York City’s economy and it essential that we invest in the resources and workforce needed to protect the City from cyber threats,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “We applaud Mayor Eric Adams and our partners at the Office of Technology and Innovation on prioritizing cybersecurity and building a pipeline of experts who will defend against threats to our infrastructure and services. We congratulate this year’s Cyber Academy graduates, including NYCEDC’s Michael Sagliocca, who will use their gained skills to keep New York City safe.”

“As we celebrate the accomplishments of the Cyber Academy’s remarkable graduates, we recognize their pivotal role in securing the future of New York City,” said New York City Corporation Counsel, Hon. Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix. “Among today’s accomplished graduates, I proudly acknowledge Kin Wong, a dedicated member of the Law Department. Their dedication to the spirit of innovation, defines our great city, safeguarding our cybersecurity infrastructure in this ever-evolving digital age.”

“Cyber security is an urgent priority for our agency and all New Yorkers as threats to our online experiences become more numerous and sophisticated,” said New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham. “The vital work OCME performs at the intersection of public health and safety depends on trust that important information will be kept safe, and we are grateful to the NYC Cyber Command for providing this opportunity for advanced training and collaboration in cyber defense. Congratulations to our own Andrew Waxman and all this year’s graduates!”

“We are immensely proud and grateful that our Senior Systems Administrator Paul DiDonato has graduated from the Cyber Academy hosted by the New York City Office of Technology & Innovation,” said Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon. “Performing the work of keeping Staten Islanders safe requires hosting and protecting incredibly personal and private information of crime victims and investigations. Preventing the loss and unauthorized access to this information is critical, and as cyber-threats evolve so too must our knowledge on how to defend against these attacks. We deeply appreciate Paul's hard work and the knowledge he gained in the Cyber Academy will serve our office well in the years to come.”

“My Office appreciates IT Service Specialist DeShawn Lynch for his dedication and hard work, and applauds his achievement of graduating from the Cyber Academy,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. “DeShawn has now bolstered his cybersecurity capabilities and will enhance our protection of private and sensitive information regarding victims and criminal investigations.”

“As a library that is a custodian for patron’s private information, we understand that our cyber security measures must protect our patrons’ personal data and that cyber security is key to maintaining our patron’s trust,” said Selvon Smith, Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Brooklyn Public Library. “It only takes one successful breach to undermine that trust. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the NYC Cyber Academy which will have a positive impact on our work going forward. The idea of augmenting NYC Cyber Command cybersecurity workforce with Cyber Academy graduates from participating agencies fosters stronger cybersecurity resilience for the individual agency and ultimately the city. It is reassuring to have the support of NYC Cyber Command and its strategic alliance with state, local, and federal partnerships to rely on. And, we are proud to have our very own graduate from the New York City Cyber Academy, Shalema Spooner.”

“Envisioned within the framework of Mayor Adams’ Executive Order to fortify the city’s cybersecurity workforce, this specialized program not only elevates agency cyber capabilities but also positions its graduates as crucial liaisons to the Office of Cyber Command,” said New York City School Construction Authority President and CEO Nina Kubota. “As representatives of their respective agencies, these graduates, will play a pivotal role reinforcing our collective defenses against threats to essential services and critical infrastructure. At the SCA, the importance of cybersecurity transcends design and technology. It provides a secure digital landscape where our employees will continue to thrive, innovate, and provide the tools our city’s school children need to learn and grow.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Cyber Academy and bolster our cybersecurity efforts as we work to further our mission to meet the housing needs of New Yorkers,” said New York City Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin. “Congratulations to all the graduates and our very own Janat Abdulrahman. HDC looks forward to strengthening our partnership with OTI on critical cybersecurity initiatives in the years to come.”

“Thomas Lau is a dedicated employee and a true team player in every sense of the word,” said Amy Loprest, Executive Director, New York City Campaign Finance Board. “He currently serves as one of our Infrastructure and Support Engineers at the New York City Campaign Finance Board and he plays a crucial role in our IT department. The entire CFB is truly proud of this amazing achievement and we are thankful to OTI for recognizing him for all that he does and for what he will continue to do for the City of New York.”

NYC Cyber Command, which is part of the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation, leads the city’s cyber defense efforts and is the nation’s largest public sector cybersecurity operation outside the U.S. Army Cyber Command. Each week, Cyber Command tracks 90 billion suspicious cyber events – a number comparable to the U.S. Department of Defense – and using cutting-edge technology whittles them down to 50 investigations by its highly trained team of cyber defenders.

NYC Cyber Command collaborates with more than 100 municipal agencies and offices to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats. In February 2022, Mayor Adams signed EO 10 requiring each city agency to designate a Cyber Command liaison to share information, monitor threats, and adopt best practices around cybersecurity. Cyber Academy provides participants with a specialized instructor-led, web-based, and experiential training focused on incident response, network security, and cyber threat intelligence. The inaugural class of 21 city employees graduated in April 2023.

Today’s Cyber Academy graduates are (in alphabetical order):

Janat Abdulrahman, New York City Housing Development Corporation
Mohammed Ahmed, Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget
Suat Albayrak, New York City Equal Employment Practices Commission
Siew Basant, New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
Albert Chieu, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Idris Colon, New York City Health and Hospitals
Ryan Connell, New York City Department of Design and Construction
Paul DiDonato, Richmond County District Attorney’s Office
Mahamane Hassane, New York City Emergency Management
Ihar Hurynovich, Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office
Akil Kelly, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Beth Kushner, New York City Office of Labor Relations
Andrew Lai, New York City Fire Pension Fund
Samuel Latortue, New York City Department of Investigation
Thomas Lau, New York City Campaign Finance Board
DeShawn Lynch, Bronx District Attorney’s Office
Angel Martinez, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services
Renee Mercado, Office of the Mayor, City of New York
Imran Mir, New York City Department of Education
Yaroslav Muddryy, New York City Department of Veterans’ Services
Patrice Pradieu, New York City Department of Small Business Services
Michael Sagliocca, New York City Economic Development Corporation
Joseph Slevin, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Shalema Spooner, Brooklyn Public Library
Evelyn Suarez, New York City Commission on Human Rights
Al Taylor, New York City Department of Buildings
Andrew Waxman, New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Seth Williams, New York City School Construction Authority
Kin Wong, New York City Law Department