About the Center for Cyber Excellence
The Center for Cyber Excellence at St. Mary’s University is a collaborative venture drawing on the expertise of faculty and staff from the School of Science, Engineering and Technology, as well as from other disciplines within the University and the University’s Information Services Division. The Center provides guidance and general cyber defense information and promotes collaboration and interaction with students, faculty and programs.
St. Mary’s University offers a Master of Science program in Cybersecurity, as well as a 12-hour Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity.
National Designation
St. Mary’s University, through the M.S. in Cybersecurity program, has been designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
Latest Updates
- 2026 — Ayad Barsoum, Ph.D., was recognized as one of the top NSA CAE-CD reviewers at the 2026 CAE in Cybersecurity Annual Symposium, marking his second consecutive year receiving this recognition.
- 2025 — Ayad Barsoum, Ph.D., was recognized as one of the Top CAE-CD Peer Reviewers at the 2025 CAE in Cybersecurity Annual Symposium.
Affiliated Faculty and Staff
Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
- Jon Ford
- Glenn Howard
- Mark Maldonado
- Brian Stuhl
- Charles J. Zinsmeyer
Information Services
- Dean Halter, Information Security Officer, Association of Marianist Universities
- Frank Niewierski, Executive Director, Client and Systems Support, St. Mary’s University
- Troy Christman, Executive Director, Infrastructure and Enterprise Services, St. Mary’s University
Cyber Defense Activities and Organizations
- AFCEA Capture the Flag: The competition is a 4-hour, Jeopardy-style competition for aspiring cyber and cybersecurity professionals. This competition is a learning tool that will measure the participant’s current familiarity with various cybersecurity topics and will further sharpen the tools they have learned through education or self-learning. St. Mary’s University has regularly competed in the competition since 2018.
- Cyber Patriot: Information Security Association student chapter. The association is open to all students with an interest in information systems. The mission of the Information Security Association is to promote management practices that will ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information resources. Our goal is to facilitate interaction and education to create a more successful environment for global information systems security and for the professionals involved.
- National CyberWatch Center Academic Institution Membership Program
Institutional Security Resources and Awareness
- Cyber Aware @ StMU Charter (Request from Information Services)
- Departmental Training Sessions: Face to Face
- Table Top Exercise (TTX) (Request from Information Services, contact informationsecurity@stmarytx.edu)
Faculty Publications
Barsoum
Additional Resources
External Board of Advisors
Joe H. Sánchez Jr.
Founder and Executive Director, CyberTexas FoundationDave Salisbury, Ph.D.
Center Director, University of DaytonSteve Ryan
CEO, Trinity CyberJohn Trabucco
IPSecure
Contact
Ayad Barsoum
Director, Center for Cyber Excellence
210-436-331
abarsoum@stmarytx.eduMaria “Isa” Lopez
Co-Director, Center for Cyber Excellence
210-431-4395
mlopez87@stmarytx.edu