Executive Leaders
Peggy Brouse
Professor, CYSE and SEOR Departments
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs, CYSE Department
As director of the first of its kind BS in cyber-security engineering program at Mason, Peggy Brouse is passionate about building a new breed of cyber-security professional. As the nature of cyber threats has grown, the demand for timely response and effective action has built the groundwork for a discipline of anticipatory action and security design. The future of cyber-resilience relies on products designed to resist cyber attack. Engineers who graduate from Mason’s cyber-security will be prepared to work on teams who develop new technologies designed to safeguard vital systems and data. Brouse’s career in researching requirements engineering, descision support, and process improvement, along with her expertise in engineering education has uniquely equipped her to direct the course of this pioneer program. Dr. Brouse has achieved multiple degrees as follows: PhD, Information Technology, George Mason University (1992); BS, Computer Science, American University (1986); MBA, Marymount University (1986); BA, Creative Writing, California State University, Long Beach (1972)
Paulo Costa
Associate Professor, CYSE and SEOR Departments
Associate Chair For Graduate Programs and Research, CYSE Department
Director, Center of Excellence in C4I & CYber
Paulo Cesar G. da Costa graduated with honors in the Brazilian Air Force Academy. Dr. Paulo Costa retired from the Brazilian Air Force in 2008 and continued his academic career at GMU. As a lecturer, Prof. Costa teaches courses on decision theory, dynamic systems modeling, decision support systems design, and probabilistic reasoning. As a researcher, he became an expert in integrating semantic technologies and uncertainty management, and is a pioneer in the field of probabilistic ontologies. Dr. Costa developed PR-OWL, a probabilistic ontology language for the Semantic Web, and is a key contributor to UnBBayes-MEBN, a Java-based, open source implementation of Multi-Entity Bayesian Networks and the PR-OWL language. His research path also includes work as a W3C invited expert in the area of uncertainty reasoning, and as a leading organizer of the Uncertainty Reasoning for the Semantic Web workshop series, which is now in its eight edition. Prof. Costa’s academic service includes participation in technical program in several academic conferences and journals, as well as members of review boards in NSF, National Academies of Engineering, and others. He also has been actively involved as PI, co-PI, or technical lead in research projects related to his areas of expertise, such as the ARO-funded project on Mathematical Foundations of High-Level Information Fusion and the ISIF’s ETUR Working Group (eturwg.c4i.gmu.edu). Dr. Costa is recipient of the GMU’s Academic Excellence in Systems Engineering Award, and is one of the few people to date to have graduated with honors in all the BAF’s three major career courses.
Duminda Wijesekera
Professor, CYSE Department
Acting Chair, CYSE Department
Co-Director, Center for Assurance Research and Engineering
Duminda Wijesekera is the acting chair of the newly formed Cyber Security Engineering Department and a professor in the Department of Computer Science at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and a visiting research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He leads the Laboratory of Radio and RADAR Engineering (RARE), collaboration between academia, industry and government located at GMU.
His current research addresses three main areas. The first is the security and safety of cyber physical systems. Research in this area includes safety and security of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that includes trains, aircraft, ships and automobiles and creating secure cognitive radio networks that ensure mandated safety guarantees for these transportation modes including 5G.
His work on 5G systems address transportation, industrial control and power grid and smart city needs. He is a visiting research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a fellow at the Potomac Institute of Policy Studies in Arlington, VA. He holds courtesy appointments as and a member of the Center for Command, Control and Coordination (C4I) and as a co-director of the Center for Assurance Research (CARE) at George Mason University.
Prior to joining GMU as an assistant professor in 1999, he was a senior systems engineer in the Military Avionics and Space Systems divisions of Honeywell Inc. in Clearwater, Florida. He has been a visiting post-doctoral fellow at the Army High Performance Research Center at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wijesekera received a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota in 1997 and a PhD in Mathematical Logic from Cornell University in 1990.
Instructors
Christine Alonzo-Yee
Instructor
Christine Alonzo-Yee has served in different roles in her career as a systems engineer and technology consultant across various Defense, Intelligence, and Federal agencies. She started her career in military satellites, migrating to radar technologies, and then cybersecurity technologies focused on the protection of government networks.
Christine currently serves as a Chief Engineer, focusing on the strategic investment, growth, and ideation of differentiated engineering technologies, such as resilient position, navigation, and timing.
Christine received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Mohamed Gebril
Instructor
Dr. Gebril is an associate professor of cybersecurity engineering at GMU. He served as a primary patent examiner at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In his career at USPTO, he has been involved in patent examination and prosecuting patent applications in the areas in the data storage and networking fields, where he has worked in intellectual property matters directed to computer security, enterprise network security and authentication, databases, data processing and memory storage devices.
Gebril completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering from NC A&T State University in the area of big data indexing, machine learning and AI applications where he published several peer-reviewed papers. He received his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from NC A&T State University in the area of Robotics navigation and optimization and completed his undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering from Alexandria University, Egypt.
Dr. Gebril joined GMU as an adjunct professor in 2016 where he has been teaching several Cyber Security Engineering and Information Technology courses.
Gino Manzo
Instructor
Gino Manzo is a Professor of Practice teaching numerous classes at Virginia Tech and George Mason University. Before joining George Mason University, he was the Operational Director of the four BAE Systems Electronic Systems Microelectronics facilities and Site Executive of BAE Systems, Manassas, Va.. Gino attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and started his career as a digital board designer and test engineer with IBM in Owego, NY. Over his 38-year corporate career, he has held a host of technical and management positions within all of the Electronic Systems microelectronic facilities located in Manassas, Va., Lexington, Mass., and Nashua, NH. As the Manassas Site Executive, he was responsible for the safety, security, working conditions and community outreach for the 400 Manassas employees.
Rock Sabetto
Instructor
Rock Sabetto has worked in many roles during his engineering career, including technology researcher, adjunct professor, chief engineer, technology consultant, systems engineer, software and database developer, military officer, and teaching assistant. Rock’s current research and analysis focuses on cloud computing security. As a George Mason University adjunct professor, he leads the cyber security engineering capstone program in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Rock holds a Bachelor’s in Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s in Telecommunications from George Washington University.
Jamie Wheeler
Instructor
Jamie Wheeler is a data strategist at Booz Allen Hamilton and an adjunct professor at George Mason University. His expertise and experience include AI/ML strategy and implementations preferring highly strategic and challenging environments, data platforms, digital strategy, change management, and team, talent, and organizational data development.
Jamie has a strong track record of increasing organizations’ effectiveness through dynamic leadership, strategic planning, process improvement, gap reconciliation, risk identification and mitigation, and technology innovation. His work has taken him over the globe, working in the Middle East, extended work and study in the United Kingdom, and coast to coast in America.
Dr. Tom Winston
Instructor
Dr. Tom Winston is a retired, multi-disciplinary Intelligence Officer. He has extensive experience as a forensic cybercrime investigator, malware reverse engineering, and intelligence officer for emergent ICS/SCADA issues facing the US and its allies. His US Government career focused on country-based threats and cyber operations and analysis from Central Eurasia, South Asia, and the Middle East. He served as a liaison officer and Consular officer for the State Department, helped to create a new office and official program for the State Department, and briefed top-level officials on cyber policy issues.
Advisory Board
Graham Archer
Synogi
Barry Barlow
Perspecta
Bruce Biesecker
Verizon
Misty Blowers
Datalytica, GMU CYSE
Henry Coffman
Lord Fairfax CC
Adam Firestone
Jeffrey Goldthorp
FCC
Anastasia Hansen
Verizon
Jose Hernandez
Bechtel
Dan Kovaluk
Leidos
Olga Livingston, Chair
DHS CISA
Richard Lord
GD IT
Vern Mosley
George Mason
Tammer Olibah
Hexagon US Federal
Tim Parker
Lockheed
Katie Pehrson
Bechtel
Connie Pilot
Inova
Schneck Phyllis
Northrop Grumman
Doug Steil
BAE Systems
Rod Wetsel
Booz Allen Hamilton
Jonathan Williams
US Air Force
Phil Harvey
Raytheon
Marcie Nagel
Avint, LLC
Jim Jones
DHS CINA
Robert Lee
Dragos
