Five questions with ... Lauren Zink, cybersecurity manager at Indeed.com

Anyone looking for employment over the past few years has either heard of or tried finding a job using Indeed.com. Lauren Zink of Jackson Township has worked as manager of security culture awareness and training for Indeed for about a year.

She has been working in cybersecurity for almost 12 years at various companies, including Diebold Nixdorf, AmTrust, Oportun and Boeing.

She and her husband Jeff LeBeau live in the Lake Cable area and have two daughters, Hayden, 8, and Blakely, 5, and two dogs, Avett and Ziggy.

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Zink graduated from Jackson High School and went on to graduate the University of Akron with a degree in secondary education.

“I taught for a few years at some local school districts and as an adjunct at a local college,” she said. “A perk of teaching at the college was taking courses for free so I enrolled in their information security program. Pivoting from education to cyber was a bit of happenstance as well as deciding to follow my passions.”

When a position opened up at a large local company for a cyber-awareness analyst, it was an opportunity for Lauren to combine her educational knowledge with her passion for technology and she said, “From there, I fell in love with the cybersecurity field. I’ve dabbled in a number of domains within cybersecurity but keep finding myself being pulled back to the human side of things through security culture.”

Zink has earned several awards throughout her career, including Women in Security Forum Power 100; IFSEC Global Influencer and Thought-leader in Cyber; Stark County 20 Under 40; Cyber Educator of the Year-Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu; and Influential Woman in Tech by Crain's Cleveland & Women in IT: Honorable Mention by SC Magazine.

What are your regular job duties and what are some of the irregular duties you have?

It is difficult to describe “a day in the life of” for my position as it varies greatly depending on the risks the company is facing at any given moment. However, some of the programs I manage include phishing and social engineering simulations, specialized security training such as for developers, the security ambassador program as well as security communications and events.

These programs all feed into a larger security culture program that is in place to help create awareness around how to keep a company, its assets and its people secure. Also, October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month so I encourage everyone to look into some of the resources your company or even nonprofit security and government sites offer around how to stay secure both at work and at home. And while October is just one month that promotes cyber-awareness, cybersecurity should truly be top of mind for everyone every day.

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How did you get interested in cyber security and how did you become employed by indeed.com?

I think I always had a desire to be in the tech field but just didn’t know how or if I could.

Though I didn’t have a linear route to where I am now, I must say I’ve learned a lot along the way that I have been able to apply to my role in cyber so I don’t know that I would change anything. I didn’t get into cyber until a few years after I graduated and taught at various levels in local schools. I have since been in a variety of positions and companies ranging from late stage Fin-tech startups in Silicon Valley, to large Fortune 100 aerospace corporations.

My latest position at Indeed.com is one I truly love due to the culture of the company and the dedication they have around security awareness and the human element.

One thing I wish I saw more of growing up was women in tech jobs, and even more so, women in leadership within the technology sector. While the tides are slowly turning, being a woman in a male-dominated field has given me a mission to create awareness around the positions that exist and doing my part to get more women and minorities into cyber.

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Would you share some of the book titles you have participated in and how you participated?

I have been a contributor for a number of industry books centered around cybersecurity awareness and culture as well as women in cyber. Additionally, I contribute frequently to industry magazines, blogs and podcasts and speak at industry conferences.

I also create technical training courses for LinkedIn and have authored three to date ― "Creating a Cybersecurity Awareness Program," "Phishing Simulations," and "Cybersecurity Terminology 101." The four books I have contributed to are:

• "97 Things Every Information Security Professional Should Know: Collective Wisdom from the Experts"

• "The Security Culture Playbook: An Executive Guide To Reducing Risk and Developing Your Human Defense Layer"

• "Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors"

• "The Rise of the Cyber Women: Volume One: Inspirational stories from women who are taking the cyber security industry by storm"

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What do you like most about living in Stark County?

Other than going (closely) away for college, I’ve been in Jackson Township and Stark County most of my life. I think this is an amazing area to live and raise kids.

I look forward to my kids experiencing a number of things I did as a child including living on the same lake I grew up on, going to the same schools and so much more.

Would you share some of your favorite things about living in the Lake Cable area?

I grew up on the lake and knew I’d always end up back here because lake living is amazing. It is also nice to have my parents, Glenda and Larry Zink, and one of my brothers and his family on the lake, as well.

Not only do you have a beautiful view to look at every day, but you have a playground in your own backyard. We make the most of it by going out on the pontoon boat, kayaking, letting the kids swim at the beach or even fishing in the summer.

I am also part of the Lake Cable Social Club which is helping bring more fun activities to the members with lake concerts, events and more. We even take full advantage of the lake in the winter by ice skating and ice golfing when the lake is frozen solid. The community and the people at Lake Cable are truly what makes it such a special place to live and play.

Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Five questions with Lauren Zink, cybersecurity manager at Indeed.com