Joining Boise State’s Division of Research and Economic Development on July 1, 2020, Edward Vasko will work to develop and serve as the director of the university’s up-and-coming Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity.
Vasko comes to Boise State with 30 years of experience as both a cybersecurity business entrepreneur and owner of five companies, including Terra Verde, a leading provider of cyber security and risk management solutions to various industries worldwide. He also has served on multiple academic advisory boards. Most recently, Vasko led educational advancements and workforce development efforts as a commissioner for the Arizona Commissioner for Post-Secondary Education.
As the director of Boise State’s Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity, Vasko believes that the university’s distinguished subject matter experts and the campus culture of innovation and interdisciplinarity will serve as the cornerstones of an institution destined to make waves in cybersecurity education.
His goal as director is to jump-start an innovative cyber security curriculum that will prepare 21st century students to transform both the field and the world with exemplary education and professional prowess.
“Many universities across the nation take an approach that computer science has to own cybersecurity, and the cyber security practitioner in me knows that cyber security isn’t just a technology problem. It’s actually a people, process and technology problem. And what I’ve seen at Boise State is this willingness to innovate around those concepts,” said Vasko.
Vasko received his bachelor’s degree in history in 1995 from Arizona State University.