IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Jothi Dugar, our finalist in the "Woman Cybersecurity Leader of the Year" category of CSWY Awards 2020

Nothing makes me happier than shining the spotlight on someone changing the world!

That is my “why” for creating the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year and Ally of the Year Awards. There are so many courageous women and men making sure we are safe and secure who rarely get the attention they deserve. These awards bring us together to celebrate all the talent in our cybersecurity community.

Last year, I mentioned in my opening statement that we need more women in cybersecurity, not only because we look at things differently, but also because we are the ones that make light out of the darkness. We are the creators of life we bring into this world to thrive and survive. We are also the subtle but strong protectors of our families, our communities, and each other. The world needs us – perhaps now more than ever!

Before we get to who won this year’s awards, I wanted to share more about all the people our judges considered as deserving nominees. Here is a look at another spectacular woman saving the world every day, our 2020 Cybersecurity Woman of the Year nominee Ms. Jothi Dugar:

What is your “why” for being in the cybersecurity or privacy field?

A previous supervisor of mine saw potential in me when I was working for the DoD and thought that I should look into Cybersecurity back when it used to be called Information Assurance, about 15 years ago! I didn't think it was for me as when I did my research, all I found was older Caucasian men in leadership roles or even in entry-level to senior roles at that time, which didn't excite me. However, something told me to check it out and so I did. My first training was in the SANS GSEC certification where I learned how to hack passwords, and I never looked back ever since! It's been a long journey with its share of ups and downs, but I do believe everything happens for a reason, and you are put on a path for a reason, so I took that and ran with it! I am now a CISO in the largest biomedical research organization in the world, NIH, where I get to work with world-class researchers, scientists, doctors, and overall super smart, dedicated, and loyal folks that are truly making a difference in the world. Hence, that is my purpose for being in Cyber as well, to be a change agent in the world to change the mindset of organizations of how Cyber is viewed and to embed Cyber into everyone's roles. I coined the term Cyber Safety at the NIH and lead the Cyber Safety campaign across the entire organization to look at our people as our biggest assets and embed Cyber Safety into everyone's roles.

Describe one of your achievements that you are most proud of and why.

One of the biggest achievements is when I asked for what I wanted for my growth and explained the reasons why my previous supervisor by writing a full-length proposal. The proposal contained background information as to why the current situation I was subjected to was not favorable, how it was affecting my work and therefore the organization, and how I deserved promotion as well given all the job duties that I was performing which were far greater than what I was originally hired to do. I laid out the facts, contextual supporting data, and clearly explained my reasoning and backed it up with raw facts. I left my own emotions and ego aside and was anxious and scared in submitting my proposal, but I knew it was the right thing to do. When I did so, my supervisor took things pretty well and after a few discussions about things, everything I asked for in my proposal was implemented, including my promotion! I was truly proud of myself for breaking through my fears and comfort zone, pushing past my panic point, and getting to the next level in my growth.

If you were a queen of the world and could change one behavior to make everyone safer, what would it be?

If I were queen of the world, well, first of all, I would ensure everyone was treated equally, men, women, of all colors, shapes, and sizes, and any combination thereof! There would be no wars and no one without an education where every single job regardless of what it is would be viewed with the same respect, dignity, and honor. I would honor mental health and wellness starting from childhood so much so, that it is a priority in families and home as well as in school which would then propagate to the workforce setting. I would empower people to do the right thing even when no one was watching and understand clearly the risk that they would be taking for themselves, and others if they were to do the "wrong thing". I would also ensure that everyone starting from any age to any age had someone under my guidance to talk to no matter what their concerns are so that everyone knows that they have a support system to lean on without judgments, penalties, or criticism.  

Name one person, alive or dead, you’d like to collaborate on a project with?

I would love to collaborate with our peace leaders that truly changed agents in the world and gave back so much to society that we're all reaping the rewards from such as Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, and Gadhi and join forces with Steve Jobs who was a true visionary in seeing the future and bringing the future into the fingertips of the common person. I would work with all of these great souls to truly build a culture of mental health and wellness across the world peacefully and serenely, build workplace programs that were not only available to all staff but a culture where leadership enforced happiness and wellness amongst their organizations and walked their talk. I would love to work on teaching women and girls right from a grade school level to feel confident in ourselves, fail forward (to realize that failing at something only drives your forward and enables you to grow stronger), to not be afraid to take risks in life, and know that they're worth it and never doubt themselves or feel that they must be perfect at something before taking a chance.

If selected for the award, how do you envision that impacting your mission, reach, sustainability, and results?

Even though my role models that I stated above are not alive, their souls are! I plan to still carry out my mission from above if I were to win this amazing honor of being selected as the Woman Cybersecurity Leader of the Year award. My dream and desire in the next five years are to help empower and transform a million people around the world! Through everything I do, as a Cyber thought leader and CISO, as well as a Wellness coach and mentor, author, and public speaker, I am passionate about motivating and inspiring others to be their best and to maintain their mental health and wellness to do so especially when it comes to the Cyberworld. In my opinion, the difference between an adversary and a Cyber professional is mental health and wellness! Our Cyber leaders and professionals are burned out, stressed, overwhelmed, and wired 24x7. More often than not, they do not receive the funding they need or the resources they need. If we as Cyber professionals, especially as women cyber leaders do not prioritize our wellness and safety, how will we be able to protect or lead others?

How can CSWY 2020 help you further your mission? 

CSWY 2020 can truly help me realize my goal of helping to empower a million or more people in the next three years through partnership, collaboration, sharing, networking, and by using a community approach to realizing my goal. As one, I can only do so much, but together we can save the world, LITERALLY! I would love to create and start a partnership with CSWY2020 to build resilience and empower girls in grade schools to believe in themselves, and build their confidence and strength in not only STEM but also in the social and emotional skills which in my opinion are far more important than purely technical skills. 

What would you like to see happen for women in the coming year in the greater Cyber/Tech community?

I would love to see women gain more confidence in themselves and get the healing and coaching they need to release parts of their inbuilt wiring of the imposter syndrome, feeling like they aren't good enough, living someone else's life meaning living the life that their parents or an authority figure in their life wanted them to have, vs their own. I want women to rise and have their voices heard loud and clear and be treated equally without judgment or fear. I want every girl to grow up feeling that they can be whoever and whatever they want to be regardless of what the role, field, or position is and look at failure as a wonderful opportunity to grow even stronger, and more resilient. I want women to break past their comfort zones, push through their panic points, and reach for their goals especially when they may seem scary. These are all the skills and traits that are missing from the Cyber community today because there is still such a shortage of women and diversity in the field.  

Where do you find your inspiration?

My motivation and inspiration come from within. I spent years looking for inspiration from external sources, and yes I still find motivation when I see female leaders sore and achieve their dreams. However, my best source of inspiration is to look within myself, really do the inner work, and see celebrate how far I've come in the world today. When I consider all my struggles, traumas, and challenges in my life and what a miracle it is for me to even be alive today as just three years ago I was in a life-threatening situation not knowing what was going to happen the next day, and coming from a traumatic childhood, I am grateful for each moment I have, each day I have, as I know that is one more moment I can truly make a difference for another girl, another woman, and another person in this world today. To me, there is no greater inspiration than being the inspiration for someone else. If I could save someone else's life today by being there for them by being a leader in Cyber, or being a Wellness coach, or just by being there for them, what better inspiration can I have for myself?

Anything else you would like to add?

My philosophy is that no matter what you do, you’re going to face swells in the sea of life – the good, the bad, and even the tsunami chaos. But you don’t have to run from it, fear it, or let it break you. You can learn to make peace with the waves of chaos. Even better, you can also learn to ride those waves and feel the excitement of life flowing through your body, mind, and soul. You can use these forces as a source of power and stability to thrive in your life!

To learn more about me, please visit www.jothidugar.com on my upcoming book, online course, wellness workshops, media opportunities, or for my wellness services.

Additional links to articles and podcasts:

Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jothi-dugar-971816/

"Our community is strong even during these challenging times and I find so much inspiration from all of you. You have done everything you can to focus on what you can do – protecting people so we can keep some normalcy in a world gone wild." Carmen Marsh

Please visit our CSWY 2020 site to cast your vote: https://leadmind.inteligenca.com/cswy2020/