Forging a recognizable brand
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Forging a recognizable brand

When Forge Institute was created in 2018, a square logo made sense. I designed it myself. It was self-contained, simple, and looked good enough on the corner of a press release or stamped into a coffee mug. Many brands have been well-served with a square logo, but for some reason, ours just didn't feel right. Plus, we needed one and I only had 5 minutes in between projects…

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Forge announces world-renowned speakers for annual Cybersecurity Summit
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Forge announces world-renowned speakers for annual Cybersecurity Summit

Each year, Forge hosts the Arkansas Cyber Summit as a way to bring industry, critical infrastructure organizations, academia (researchers and students), state and local government, federal agencies and military together to discuss global cyber threat activity, workforce programs/needs, and to raise awareness of opportunities/programs that help Arkansas robust its cyber defenses and increase economic prosperity for our state. This year’s focus is on developing Arkansas as the Cyber Defense State. Topics include Securing the Defense Industrial Base to Grow Arkansas Jobs; Engaging State & Local Government in Cyber Defense; Trust Officer vs. CISO - What Do We Need Now; National Security Risks & Opportunities from Emerging Technologies; and so much more. 

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Admin Assistant
Careers, Open Positions Lee Watson Careers, Open Positions Lee Watson

Admin Assistant

Forge Institute seeks an Administrative Assistant (AA) who will assist with the day-to-day operations responsible for general office tasks and administrative duties, such as directing communications between colleagues and partners & participants, organizing schedules and events, entering data, bookkeeping, maintaining office equipment and so on. Our ideal candidate learns quickly when facing new situations, experiments to find new solutions, takes on challenges of unfamiliar tasks, extracts lessons-learned from failures and mistakes, and expands knowledge base through ongoing curiosity. We’re looking for someone who will enable teams & individuals to be focused on their goals and prepared for anything that comes their way. This is a vital role, especially for our team members that have a lot of plates in the air at all times.

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Forge Institute partners with DoD SkillBridge to support Service members' transition gap to civilian careers
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Forge Institute partners with DoD SkillBridge to support Service members' transition gap to civilian careers

A year ago, I began my transition from a 20-year career in the United States Air Force to civilian life. The drastic life change can be daunting to many service members, myself included. There is a fantastic plethora of organizations and programs to help with this monumental task. Wading through the information from these groups is like drinking from a fire hose and can become overwhelming. The program that has had the most significant impact on my transition is DOD SkillBridge. The SkillBridge program allows service members to spend up to their last 180 days in service working with a private organization. 

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Lead Instructor (3), DoD STEM Program
Careers, Open Positions Lee Watson Careers, Open Positions Lee Watson

Lead Instructor (3), DoD STEM Program

The Instructor is responsible for the implementation of curriculum for the program. The Instructor focuses on active engagement with students to ensure understanding of material and outlined goals are met. High energy, involved Instructors are the key to the success of the program. Candidates need to be able to meet the program challenges with a positive outlook and be a positive role model to energize students.

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Forge Institute launches the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center 
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Forge Institute launches the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center 

The Arkansas Cyber Defense Center (ACDC) is a dedicated hotline that connects small and mid-sized businesses directly in contact with a Forge Institute volunteer. Small business and startup leaders can call ACDC when they feel their organization is under cyber attack or if they feel their digital infrastructure is inadequately protected.

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Forge Institute Fellowship Program to Provide Companies with Exceptional Cyber Talent 
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Forge Institute Fellowship Program to Provide Companies with Exceptional Cyber Talent 

The Forge Fellowship, launched in January of this year, nurtures a pool of exceptional cyber defense specialists, enabling organizations who participate in the program to select qualified candidates. Training can even be customized through internships with prospective employers. Those who complete the program take part in a special coining ceremony – and inside access to the world’s most lucrative infosec positions. 

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Forge Institute Granted Authorization by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense to Become a DoD SkillBridge Provider
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Forge Institute Granted Authorization by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense to Become a DoD SkillBridge Provider

Forge Institute announced today that it is authorized as an official SillBridge provider. The qualification authorizes Forge Institute by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense to work with each of the military service branches and respective installation commanders to develop SkillBridge training programs for their personnel.

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Forge Institute Launches “Ask A CISO” Program with Industry Cyber Executives
News, Press Release Lee Watson News, Press Release Lee Watson

Forge Institute Launches “Ask A CISO” Program with Industry Cyber Executives

Forge Institute has launched a new program designed to give small and mid-sized businesses valuable cyber and information security counsel. The unique program, “Ask a CISO,” makes available a variety of experts and security leaders to answer pre-submitted questions in a panel type of forum. The initial panel will include four CISOs and directors of security, Beth-Anne Bygum of Acxiom, Phil Clark of AECC, Jason Cathey of Bank OZK, and Devin Shirley of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.

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Former FBI ​​Deputy Assistant Director Gary Stoops Joins the Forge Institute Advisory Board
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Former FBI ​​Deputy Assistant Director Gary Stoops Joins the Forge Institute Advisory Board

Today we announce the addition of former FBI Deputy Assistant Director General Gary Stoops to the organization’s advisory board. Mr. Stoops worked for many years with the National White Collar Crime Center and was instrumental in the creation of the National Security and Intelligence Program at Fairmont State and its Open Source Intelligence Exchange (OSIX) laboratory.

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