Nelbert “Doc” St. Clair, Chair

Dr. Nelbert “Doc” St. Clair is an Associate Professor of Cyber Defense at the College of Coastal Georgia, where he teaches courses in cyber defense and security. With eight years of experience coaching high-performing teams in the National Cyber League (NCL), he is a seasoned and dedicated mentor.A retired Army Officer (CPT) and Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO, SSG), Doc served for 23 years, including two deployments. His passion for technology began in his teenage years when he explored dumpster diving at RadioShack. Over the course of many years, he gained extensive IT experience working for the Federal and State Governments, the private sector, and the military, honing his knowledge, skills, and abilities. Doc has been teaching for over 10 years and is currently building a cyber defense program from the ground up, a task he finds immensely rewarding. He holds a Doctor of Science in Information Systems and Communications from Robert Morris University (2018), a Master’s in Information Technology Management from Webster University (2012), and a Bachelor’s in General Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno (2003).

Jasmine Jackson, Secretary

Jasmine Jackson is the Founder and Executive Director of The Accelerated Training Program (T-ATP), a non-profit organization helping minimize the digital divide by providing digital literacy and cybersecurity education to underrepresented primary school-aged children. Some of Jasmine's passions are making cybersecurity education accessible to all children, strengthening and diversifying the cybersecurity workforce pipeline through workforce development, equity, and education, and creating cybersecurity content for aspiring cybersecurity professionals.

Jasmine has a Master's in Computer Science and a Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Privacy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also has a Bachelor's in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics from California State University, East Bay.

Costis Toregas, Treasurer

Dr. Costis Toregas has served as Finance Director of the National Cyber League since its inception in 2012. He is the Director of the Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute at The George Washington University, where he manages and conducts Scholarship, Research and Service projects. His research interests include workforce development, the role of insurance in cyber risk management, and exploring a fuller utilization of community colleges in cybersecurity workforce strategies. He is a consultant for Industry and International programs at the National Cybersecurity Training and Education center (NCyTE), and contributes to the gender equity imperatives in cybersecurity as a Board Member and Treasurer of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS).

Dr. Toregas holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Systems Engineering from Cornell University.

David Zeichick, NCL Commissioner

David is an Assistant Professor, Computer Science at California State University Chico. He specializes in teaching cybersecurity and is a seasoned NCL coach, leading his team to top-ranked status.

David has spent 10 years teaching information technology at corporations and colleges and 10 years in the computer security field. He received his Doctorate in Information Assurance from Nova Southeastern in Florida, Master’s in Computer Science from Chico State and Bachelor’s in Social Science from University of California, Irvine.

Jiri Jirik, Finance Committee Member

Jiri Jirik is a cybersecurity expert who with over 20 years of experience in both industry and academia. He currently serves as Director of the Moraine Valley Community College’s Education Pathway National Center. In his role, he leads the development, implementation, and instruction of cybersecurity curriculum materials tailored for K-12, higher education institutions, and adult learners. His qualification includes cybersecurity certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CASP. He holds MBA with concentration on Information Systems and is currently pursuing Ph.D. in Cyber Defense from Dakota State University, with research interests in cybersecurity education and cybersecurity workforce development.

Laura Malave, Finance Committee Member

Laura Malavé holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of South Florida and brings over 20 years of experience in college-level Computer Science and Information Technology education.

She has been recognized for her innovative teaching practices, Laura received the 2016 League of Innovation Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning for Innovation in the Use of Technology. As a cybersecurity expert, Laura has contributed as a subject matter expert to regional news outlets and has presented at national conferences, including BSides Tampa, WiCyS, and HITEC.

In addition to her teaching and leadership roles, Laura is an active Quality Matters Peer Reviewer for Higher Education, K-12, and publisher materials, completing over 20 peer reviews. She holds the ACUE Certificate in Effective College Instruction and serves as a NSA CAE Program development and application mentor and peer reviewer. Laura was recognized in 2024 with a CAE-CoP-CD Community Service Award for her role as a top CAE-CD Peer Reviewer.

Franz Payer, CEO

Franz is the CEO of Cyber Skyline, which powers the National Cyber League. He became drawn to cybersecurity when he tried to build a website, then learned how to break websites, and then discovered a vulnerability in his high school’s gradebook. He founded Cyber Skyline in his freshman dorm room, because he wanted to share the thrill of being a real hacker with his friends, even while they were still developing their skills.

Emily Kalandranis, Director of Development & Partnership

Joining Cyber Skyline in January 2022, she has coordinated new NCL initiatives such as the Women of the NCL webinar, The Decrypted Post newsletter and NCL Spirit Week. Her passion for education stems from her background as an Elementary teacher with a Masters in Education (M.Ed) and her previous role as the Cyber Education Manager for AFA CyberPatriot from 2015-2018. Emily is an avid animal lover and proud cat mom, unapologetically obsessed with the ‘80s, and is ready to compete on the Great British Baking Show at a moment’s notice.

Ashley Dodge, Director of Operations

Ashley works behind the scenes ensuring that projects are running smoothly while making sure that there is a template and process for everything. When not at work she can be found near the water, at Universal Studios, or hanging out with her pets.

Lauren Wolff, Graphic Design & Marketing Specialist

Lauren has been with Cyber Skyline since 2021. In her free time, you can find her at a local coffee shop, rewatching her favorite T.V. shows, going to a concert, or creating digital art on her iPad.

Conor Moening, Senior Software Engineer

Conor graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and was a part of the usr0 security club on campus and can attribute a lot of what he knows about security to the great people there. Conor has now worked for over three years as a software engineer at Cyber Skyline.

Tristan Messner, Senior Software Engineer

Tristan enjoys solving difficult and interesting engineering problems. He lives in Ohio with his two cats that love to investigate everything he is trying to do.

Eddie Miro, Cybersecurity Analyst

Eddie has presented at DEF CON, HOPE, Wild West Hackin’ Fest, and has been published in 2600 Magazine. He specializes in physical security and social engineering, and is also a current DEF CON Goon. Hack the planet.

Zoe Coughlan, Product Support Engineer

Zoe found a love for fiddling around with tech through Arduino-centered Science Fair projects, and later participated in cybersecurity and coding competitions which fostered an interest in computer science. She studied a double major B.S. in Computer Science and Information Technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She loves magical girl anime, rhythm games, and scrapbooking.