
University of Oklahoma
Cybersecurity Essential Training
An intensive five-day workshop equipping IT professionals with cutting-edge cybersecurity skills. Hands-on labs, expert speakers, real-world scenarios.

About the Workshop
Building the Next Generation of Cyber Defenders
We are excited to invite you to our Cybersecurity Workshop, designed for IT professionals and related fields. This intensive five-day program, sponsored by Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security and FEMA, aims to equip participants with essential cybersecurity skills to tackle modern security challenges effectively.
With cyber threats evolving at an unprecedented pace, organizations must strengthen their cybersecurity posture to protect sensitive data and infrastructure. This workshop provides hands-on training, expert-led discussions, and real-world scenarios to ensure participants gain practical, actionable knowledge.
Logistics
Workshop Details
Dates & Time
May 18–22 & May 26–30, 2026 9 AM – 4 PM, Working lunch included
Location
University of Oklahoma, Norman Campus Carson Engineering Center, Room 205/206
Registration
FREE
Certification
Certificate of Completion specifying the total number of training hours will be awarded
Limited Seats
First-come, first-served basis. Secure your spot early!
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Invited Talks (2025)
Learn from our distinguished speakers who will share their expertise and insights on various cybersecurity topics.

Dr. Stacey White
Raised in Bixby, Oklahoma, Dr. White has a distinguished background, having served in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his military career, he spent three years as an instructor at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, where he taught future Navy leaders, foreign leaders, and federal law enforcement personnel.
Dr. White’s extensive experience in cybersecurity and military training makes him a valuable asset to NSU’s cybersecurity program. His educational background includes certifications from the McAfee Institute, NW3C, and CompTIA Security Plus. He is deeply involved in research and teaching in the fields of cybersecurity, computer sciences, network security, and controlled access systems.
As the primary investigator for the NSU Cybersecurity Clinic, established with a $1 million grant from Google, Dr. White leads initiatives to provide hands-on cybersecurity training and community outreach, helping to protect local organizations and critical infrastructure from cyber threats.
Dr. White brings over 33 years of law enforcement and investigative experience, along with 20 years of working in the private sector providing security services. His expertise includes control, network, and vulnerability assessments, making him a highly skilled professional in identifying and mitigating security risks.

Kris Larsh
Mr. Larsh served in the US Army for 13 years, of which 7 years of it were spent working in information technology and security operations. His duties were to monitor both the network for external cyberattacks and internal cyber activity. His work took him from working in Security Operations, AKA the S6 shop in the Army from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to Fort Gordon, Georgia. He was stationed in Qatar as the Sergeant in charge of the entire security network operations in Camp As-Sailiya, which was the headquarters for the Army Central Command of Theater Operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Upon retiring from the military, he earned his degree in education and a Master’s in Education Technology, along with another Master’s in Education Leadership. He now works as a science teacher and the Director of Education Technology at the school. Like his cybersecurity job in the military, he also works with cybersecurity companies to help keep our students safe.

Dr. Qi Li
Dr. Li is an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Computer Science at the Colorado School of Mines, where she was advised by Dr. Dong Chen. Her research interests focus on building data-driven computer systems, combining data science and deep learning/machine learning techniques to address efficiency, sustainability, and privacy challenges in cyber-physical systems (CPS) systems. She has presented papers at top-tier conferences, including IoTDI, CNS, IPSN, BuildSys, and WiSec. She also received the Best Paper Award at BuildSys 2020. In 2023, she was selected as a CPS Rising Star.

Dr. Yi Wu
Dr. Wu is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science at the Gallogly College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma. He completed his Ph.D. at Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, under supervision of Dr. Jian Liu. His research interests encompass the areas of mobile sensing & computing, smart healthcare, and cybersecurity & privacy. Particularly, he utilizes machine learning and signal processing techniques to create next-generation applications for human-computer interaction, smart health monitoring, and identifying potential security/privacy issues on IoT devices. His research work has been published at top-tier mobile-computing/security/HCI venues, including S&P/Oakland, ACM CCS, ACM MobiCom, ACM UbiComp, and ACSAC.

Jonathan Kimmitt
Mr. Kimmitt currently serves as Chief Information Security Officer for Alias Cybersecurity. Jonathan has supported Security and Privacy initiatives for organizations for over 20 years. He supports clients in incident response and program development for IT, cybersecurity and privacy departments and AI governance. An active member of the community, he currently the CISO Showdown Champion of Oklahoma, presented on cyber & privacy topics at over 300 events and helps lead community support as a past ISSA President, InfraGard board member, and an adjunct cybersecurity instructor for local small business and entrepreneur training programs. In his professional role, his focus is for industries, professionals, and leaders to grow and develop their security and privacy postures for organizations, employees, and communities.

Jordan Caldwell
Mr. Caldwell is the Co-founder and Chief Security Officer (CSO) at Critical Fault, LLC and SecurDOM, Inc. He provides expert guidance and security testing through covert entry methods, blending digital and physical security realms. Since co-founding Critical Fault in June 2021, he has brought a multidisciplinary approach to cybersecurity, supported by his formal education in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology.
Jordan has conducted research with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He previously served the State of Oklahoma as a lead environmental risk assessor, analyzed nuclear material security, and worked as a project manager.
He is actively involved in leadership and community outreach, serving on two steering committees for ASIS International and holding roles such as the 2023 OKC Chapter Secretary and the 2024–2025 Tulsa Chapter Secretary for the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCOk).
Testimonials
What Participants Say
Real feedback from professionals who attended our workshop.
It was a pleasure to attend the OU Cybersecurity Essentials Workshop for IT Professionals last week. The team was professional and well-prepared for each of their sessions. I was particularly impressed with the lab exercises developed by the PhD students-these were thoughtfully aligned with the discussion topics and demonstrated a high level of preparation and insight. The demonstration on cryptographic entropy, and the effect of password length and complexity, was especially outstanding. The integration of a hands-on software tool made the concept both clear and impactful. Well done! I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Banad for inviting me to attend as an observer. As they say, this old dog can still learn new tricks!
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