Auburn, Ala. - According to a news released by the university, Auburn University named renowned cyber expert, Frank Cilluffo, as the director of the Charles D. McCrary institute.
Ciluffo served previously as an associated vice president at The George Washington University, leading national security and cybersecurity policy initiatives during his tenure. He also directed the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, launching the university’s MBA in Cybersecurity program, along with eh School of Business.
The McCrary Institute, founded in 2014 through a gift from Alabama Power, focuses on research and innovation in the areas of cybersecurity.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks, President Bush appointed Cilluffo to the Office of Homeland Security, being involved in homeland security, policy initiatives and serving as director of the president’s Homeland Security Advisory Council.
“Frank is one of the world’s pre-eminent experts on cybersecurity and homeland security, and we are excited to have someone of his caliber leading such an important endeavor,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of engineering. “The McCrary Institute has allowed Auburn University to build on the track record of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Cyber Research Center and emerge as a national leader in cybersecurity research.
Cilluffo has also spent years in strategic and policy initiatives, establishing the Center for Homeland for Cyber and Homeland Security, a nonpartisan “think and do tank.”
“I am excited to join a first-class university and high-caliber team committed to tackling some of the greatest national and economic security challenges facing our country today,” said Cilluffo. “As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, so too must our response. The time has come to move beyond ‘admiring the problem,’ toward implementing solutions.
