Pitt Cyber announced three Affiliate Practice Scholars today: Lieutenant Colonel Diana Bishop, Detachment 730 Commander, US Air Force ROTC; attorney Michael Comber; and Leona Mitchell, professor of practice at Pitt’s School of Computing and Information.
Affiliate Practice Scholars from across disciplines and industries will join Pitt Cyber’s Affiliate Scholars, faculty from across the University of Pittsburgh, to collaborate and be a source of practical experience and expertise for research, experiential learning, and discussion.
Bishop is the first-ever female commander of Detachment 730, Pittsburgh’s Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as well as an Air Force cyber officer. She has previously focused on the buildup of Air Force cyber defenses and has been actively involved in Air Force cyberspace initiatives, such as Cyber Flag, a military exercise focused on training and validating Air Force capabilities and readiness. Bishop has served three command tours and has led deployed tactical communications missions.
Comber is a partner at Farrell & Reisinger, LLC in Pittsburgh. Previously, he served thirteen years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, including eight years as chief of the civil division. Comber received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his role in dismantling the GameOver Zeus botnet with Pitt Cyber’s Founding Director and then-US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania David Hickton.
Mitchell is a professor of practice at the School of Computing and Information where she is leading the development of a new Professional Institute. She was previously a senior executive at IBM and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a Distinguished Alumni Award from Pitt’s then-School of Information Sciences, Women of the Channel Award, and CRN’s Top Female IT Channel Executives Award.
“I am honored to have these three leaders joining Pitt Cyber,” said Pitt Cyber’s Founding Director David Hickton. “Their breadth of leadership and practical experience will serve Pitt Cyber well as we tackle critical cyber questions. Their collaboration through Pitt Cyber will allow our efforts to be better informed by real-world perspectives across disciplines.”
###