Ohio cybersecurity leaders have received the inaugural Cyber25 recognition from Ohio Tech News and OhioX. Presented by ATC, the annual honor identifies 25 people working across industry, government, education and workforce development.
The organizers said the recognition highlights security work protecting businesses, public services and critical infrastructure. The Ohio cybersecurity selections also include people developing tools, shaping policy and preparing students for cybersecurity careers.
Ohio Cybersecurity Recognition Includes Infrastructure Defenders
According to the inaugural Cyber25 announcement, honorees were selected for demonstrated leadership. The organizers described the list as a snapshot rather than a complete account of the state’s security community.
One theme is protecting services that residents and businesses rely on. The Ohio cybersecurity roles span health care, manufacturing, utilities and public digital services.
Shawn Waldman, founder and chief executive of SecureCyber, leads threat hunting and incident response work for Ohio organizations. The announcement specifically includes water and wastewater utilities among those organizations.
Waldman also created a cyber upskilling center through GoCyber Collective. Its hands-on training covers forensics and ethical hacking.
Related reporting examines water plant cybersecurity challenges. That coverage addresses the same broader category of defending essential services.
Todd Lukens, Nationwide’s senior vice president and chief technology and information security officer, is another honoree. The announcement identifies responsibilities spanning cybersecurity, technology operations, continuity and crisis management.
Public Services And Industrial Systems
Remard Colston, InnovateOhio Platform administrator at the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, was also recognized. The announcement credits Colston’s work on centralized digital identity and fraud prevention through the platform and OHID.
Those systems use identity proofing, fraud detection and enterprise monitoring. The organizers described them as protecting services used for benefits, licensing and other public needs.
Kenneth Charnota directs IT cybersecurity at Worthington Steel. The recognition describes work securing integrated operations during a period of company growth.
Jason Koler, deputy chief information security officer at Eaton, leads aspects of incident response and cyber resilience. The announcement also identifies secure adoption of transformative technologies within that responsibility.
For related leadership coverage, Block Editorial has examined human review of AI. Its broader business reporting also covers leadership and workforce development.
Training Supports Ohio Cybersecurity Work
The Ohio cybersecurity recognition includes educators and people building training partnerships. Their roles connect security operations with the preparation of future practitioners.
Connie Matthews Reynolds, founder and chief executive of ReynCon Educational Services & Training, focuses on helping organizations build security competence. The organizers credited work in education, representation and career development.
Rebekah Michael helps lead the Ohio Cyber Range Institute’s statewide education, training and institutional partnerships. The announcement describes that work as turning workforce policy into opportunities for students, educators and employers.
Jon Gorenflo, chief executive of ATTACKD, teaches practitioners as a SANS principal instructor. Gorenflo also leads Columbus’ Hackers Teaching Hackers community.
The organizers said nominations helped identify the inaugural honorees and thanked presenting sponsor ATC. OhioX and Ohio Tech News plan to share information about nominations for next year’s list through their subscriptions.
