WiCyS Director Lynn Dohm on Key Strategies for Women’s Career Advancement.
WiCyS research identifies a critical advancement barrier for women in cybersecurity at 6-10 years. Through targeted programming and professional development, the organization helps mid-career professionals build essential leadership skills for senior positions.
Research into retention challenges led WiCyS to identify specific skills gaps preventing women from reaching senior cybersecurity roles. The organization now offers specialized programs including “Stage Ready” to develop crucial communication abilities that complement technical expertise.
“We went to our senior professionals of all our industry partners that support us, and said, ‘what got you from mid-career into that senior position?'” said Lynn Dohm, executive director at Women in Cybersecurity. “It narrowed down to the technical side, but in addition to that, was building that leadership skill set and effective communication.”
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at RSAC Conference 2025, Dohm also discussed
- Building cohort-based mentoring programs that benefit both parties;
- Bridging cybersecurity and artificial intelligence knowledge through specialized learning series;
- Preparing for the 2030 retirement wave of technical baby boomers.
With more than 25 years of organizational leadership experience, Dohm has aligned businesses, nonprofits and grant-funded initiatives to strengthen the cybersecurity workforce. Under her guidance since 2019, WiCyS has become a leading model for collaborative, multi-organizational approaches to workforce development.
Watch the video of the full interview HERE