JANICE FREW DYER

Janice Frew Dyer completed her MS in Rural Sociology in 2007 and her PhD in Forestry in 2012, both at Auburn University. Janice spent several years teaching Sociology at Calhoun Community College in North Alabama, and Sustainable Food Systems at Lipscomb University in Nashville. She also worked as a project coordinator for the Food Bank of North Alabama, overseeing the non-profit organization’s Farm Food Collaborative. It was during this time working with farmers to implement Good Agricultural Practices and prepare for food safety audits that Janice realized her love of identifying and mitigating risks. She now works in cybersecurity helping government customers manage risks associated with information systems and to become compliant with ever-evolving regulations and criteria. Janice credits the research-oriented, multi-disciplinary education she received at Auburn with her success in transitioning to a new field and being able to quickly learn new concepts. Cybersecurity occurs at the intersection of people, technology, and policy, and Janice is able to bring a unique perspective to her role by applying “systems thinking” learned during her time in Auburn’s Rural Sociology program.