Board of Directors

Cybersecurity DIVAS is guided by Cybersecurity Leaders who are passionate about improving gender imbalance within the cybersecurity industry

Lyndrel Downs is the Founder of Cybersecurity DIVAS, an organization that seeks to empower everyone to learn about cybersecurity. We are committed to creating a community of Women in Cybersecurity who have established themselves as leaders, mentors, and influencers (Cybersecurity DIVAS).

Cybersecurity DIVAS mission is to create the next generation of women thought leaders and rainmakers in Cybersecurity. through mentoring, education, and coaching to close the gender and diversity gap that persists in the industry.! 

Lyndrel is also Executive Recruiter with Fortify Experts, an executive search firm specializing in the placement of cybersecurity leaders and professionals. Lyndrel has over 20 years of executive search and recruiting experience and is responsible for providing senior leadership for the recruiting team and establishing the resourcing strategies. Prior to joining Fortify Experts, Ms. Downs served for 13 years as the Senior Technical Recruiter and Senior Resource Development Manager for a national consulting firm. Lyndrel was also a CCNA Certified Network Engineer and is studying for several Security Certifications. Lyndrel earned her Mechanical Engineering degree from Prairie View University and her Business degree from the University of Phoenix.

Angelique is the title Chairman Cybersecurity DIVAS Cyber Solutions Engineer & Senior Advisor |vCISO |Board Member |Consultant Angelique is a Cyber Solutions Engineer and Senior Advisor for #GDIT in Washington, D.C.  For 25 years she has supported the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community in both Intelligence, Cybersecurity Engineering and C-Suite capacities. Angelique develops holistic solutions which build on the foundation for Cyber Resiliency and provides Penetration Testing, Cyber Threat Intelligence and System Security Engineering solutions.  She is an Air Force Veteran and supports mentorship programs and initiatives for transitioning Military members and their families looking to enter the Cybersecurity field.

Aaron Collins, Chief Development Officer and Acting Executive Director of Cybersecurity DIVAS the most important and exciting position He has ever had. Prior to this position, Aaron invested his entire career in the for-profit world. At Xerox and Gartner as an employee, then as a consultant, and eventually as a founder and Boss. But he realized long ago from those experiences is that what motivates him most is mentoring and coaching people to see what is possible for them when wisdom and experience are shared by someone who believes in them.
A talented and focused person can accomplish great things, but when that person is part of a community of like-minded people focused on the same mission, anything can be accomplished. He is the co-founder of Cybersecurity DIVAS (Women that are Driven, Inspirational, Visionary, who take Action in Security). Our mission is to develop the next generation of rainmakers and thought leaders in the cybersecurity industry, one Jr. DIVAS at a time.

Lynette is a Principal Security and Privacy Architect with Dell Technologies where she is the security architecture lead for the 365 efforts with Dell Fed. Prior to this position, she was a Senior Privacy and Security Architecture Manager with USDA. She has her CIPP (Certified Information Privacy Professional)-US and my enterprise security architecture certifications in SABSA Foundation, as well as two practitioner certifications, SCPA and SCPR, in Architecture Design and Risk Assurance and Governance. Lynette has a Master’s in information assurance from Iowa State University.

Katalina is a Sr. Dir Global Security Governance & Compliance at Equifax where she has been delivering significant operational improvement through developing high-performing teams and efficient processes.  She has been a security leader within Equifax for over 6 years.  Katalina has international experience working in London for several major banks including State Street Bank and MUFJ.  As a business continuity expert, she also spent time in Switzerland and Argentina in the banking industry before joining Equifax.   Katalina is MBCI & Certified ISO 22301 Lead Implementer, LEAN Green Belt, and a Member of ISACA.

Kavita is the IAM Manager within the Center of Excellence at Toyota Enterprise Security Services. She has 23+ years of experience in Leadership, Enterprise Security Programs, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Product Management, Cyber Security Architecture, Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Access Certification, SOX, GDPR, PCI, HIPAA Compliance, Privileged Access Management, and Cloud Security. Kavita has a Bachelors in Auditing and has multiple Certifications including CISSP, CCISO, and ScrumMaster.

Courtney is an industry expert with over 20 years of certified hands-on experience encompassing strategic execution, executive leadership, and entrepreneurship. She is the Founder and CEO of Paragon Cyber Solutions, a minority, veteran-owned Tampa, FL based company providing information security solutions to customers worldwide. She is active in mentoring younger women to encourage them and train them in cybersecurity.