Cybersecurity is recognized as one of the most serious challenges of the modern world. In order to deepen knowledge of existing risks and possible solutions, on June 12 in Warsaw the U.S. Embassy, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and American Center Warsaw organized the panel discussion Cybersecurity in the Midst of Global Challenges. The panel speakers featured the leading American cybersecurity expert Melissa Hathaway and Dr. Paulina Piasecka, Deputy Director of the Center for Research on Terrorism from Collegium Civitas in Warsaw. CEPA’s Olgierd Syczewski moderated the discussion after the U.S. Embassy’s Cultural Attaché Dan Hastings kicked off the event. The panel discussion was the latest in the Embassy’s newly launched In Focus. Polish-American Speaker Series that connects Polish and American experts in monthly discussions of topics important to U.S.-Polish relations.
A leading expert in cyberspace policy and cybersecurity, Melissa Hathaway served in two U.S. presidential administrations, spearheading the Cyberspace Policy Review for President Barack Obama and leading the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) for President George W. Bush. As president of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC, she and her firm provide strategic consulting to global public and private sector clients. She also publishes regularly on cybersecurity matters affecting companies and countries; her articles can be found at the website.
Dr. Paulina Piasecka earned her Ph.D. in the field of security science. As the Deputy Director of the Center for Terrorism Research and the Institute of Information Analysis at Collegium Civitas, she specializes in international terrorism and information warfare studies. She is presently involved in two scientific projects financed under the Horizon 2020 program: The Evolving Social Construction of Threats and Dialogue About Radicalization and Equality (DARE). Earlier she worked as Chief Specialist in the Department for Counter Terrorist Threats of the Public Security Division of the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration. She also served as the head of the Non-Military Security Department at the Polish National Security Bureau. Dr. Piasecka is a cybersecurity alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program.
