Dr. Aleise H. McGowan is an active advocate for equitable access to educational opportunities for all persons. She joined the faculty in the School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) in August 2022 with a passion to promote inclusivity to broaden participation in cybersecurity. Dr. McGowan has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of South Alabama and over two decades of cybersecurity and information technology work experience. She is the CISO and Executive Board member of Black Girls Hack (BGH Foundation), a national cybersecurity nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education and resources to underserved communities and increasing the diversity in cyber.