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Lauren Buitta, Founder of Girl Security, was invited to announce the new All Secure initiative as part of the White House’s Cyber Security Strategy launch event in Washington D.C.

All Secure is a first of its kind series of programs designed to advance a more inclusive, sustainable, and innovative model for the security workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2023) Girl Security, a national nonprofit advancing girls, women, and gender minorities in security pathways, today announces the launch of All Secure, a new program portfolio featuring a suite of robust initiatives designed to transform the national security ecosystem through inclusive action and benefit all stakeholders. The Biden administration’s Office of the National Cyber Director selected All Secure to be introduced as part of today’s event announcing the launch of the White House’s Cybersecurity Strategy. Since its inception, Girl Security has recognized the need to holistically transform the security sector to reflect a more diverse workforce through the advancement of historically underrepresented populations of youth, starting with girls. All Secure is the next phase of Girl Security’s mission and includes three key focus areas at the outset: (1) joining youth alongside industry leaders to develop strategies and blueprints for other leaders to structure a more agile and innovative security workforce; (2) establishing the first comprehensive, expert-informed national security curriculum to support high school and college-aged learners; and (3) expanding the organization’s suite of supportive services for mentees and fellows entering the workforce.

“The defender community needs to be as diverse as the threats we face. In order for us to stay ahead of this asymmetric battle, our defenders need to reflect the entire world and all the diversity that is within it. We cherish our strategic partnership with Girl Security and are proud to align with its core values for inclusion and advancement of girls, women, and gender minorities from diverse communities. We are excited to support the All Secure curriculum by leveraging content from our Microsoft TEALs program and Microsoft Last Mile program, which provides cybersecurity education and scholarship support to high school students.” says Microsoft Security CVP Vasu Jakkal.

As part of the All Secure portfolio, Girl Security is introducing its Workforce Futures Alliance (WFA), a first of its kind partnership with private sector businesses committed to leveraging the full spectrum of their talent, from incoming recruits to the most senior members, by reframing the individuality of each employee as an ingredient for greater organizational success. In the current global landscape, national security challenges are not limited to the government sector; businesses across all industries face increasing security risks on a daily basis, which can include responding to emerging technologies, supply chain upheaval, and disruptions from climate and health-related events. Despite the abundance of job opportunities within this space, only an estimated 20 percent of security sector employees across government and industry are women. It is incumbent upon industry leaders to foster a prepared and diverse security workforce among future generations to better contribute to America’s evolving national security needs. With this alliance, Girl Security will work with senior security executives from some of the country’s most influential companies including Levi Strauss & Co., Microsoft Security, Starbucks, and Cargill to develop new approaches to engagement, recruitment, and training that will ultimately serve to inform how business leaders cultivate a highly skilled, diverse security workforce. Beginning this fall, the WFA will collectively develop a comprehensive strategy to serve as a roadmap for other industry leaders seeking to structure inclusive empowerment within their own security workforce and yield more resilient workforces. As is the case with all Girl Security intergenerational programming, adolescents will work alongside leadership to guide outcomes. Girl Security fellows will have opportunities to speak directly with the WFA, and ultimately other business leaders, to address expectations of employers as future employees themselves.

“Girl Security is a transformative organization and the WFA an innovative approach to ensuring our nation’s security sector, across both government and corporate entities, develops more inclusive and innovative workplaces for future generations to meet the vast challenges of the moment,” said Garrett Petraia, Vice President, Global Security & Resilience and Chief Security Officer, Levi Strauss & Co. “The administration’s support will amplify the WFA’s message and strengthen our ability to continue to attract committed companies who want to be part of this paradigm-shifting work.”

In addition to the WFA, Girl Security will launch the All Secure curriculum, the first comprehensive national security curriculum designed to prepare high school and higher education institutions, with a focus on community colleges, for a rapidly changing workforce. From emerging technologies to nuclear weapons, climate change to health security, the All Secure curriculum provides a robust and multidisciplinary understanding of our most pressing security challenges and employs multiple modalities for diverse learners, as well as an educational articulation that includes social and emotional learning competencies. Introducing all youth, and especially girls, to pathways in national security must begin as early as. possible; studies show that stereotypes that inhibit girls from pursuing pathways in fields in which they have been historically underrepresented, such as STEM, begin in grade school and continue throughout high school, where girls have reported lacking a sense of belonging. This curriculum combines substantive educational understanding of the field with diverse role models to create a sense of belonging
during a crucial developmental period. It also provides skills-training opportunities for myriad pathways into college or career.

“Advancing a more diverse security workforce, starting with girls, remains foundational to our model. However, we must also design a more intergenerational, sustainable, and productive paradigm for our collective security future, which will be shaped by some of the most complex developments of the world’s history,” said Lauren Buitta, Girl Security Founder and CEO. “We are excited to introduce the All Secure curriculum as part of this next phase of our work. This fall, we will embark on a targeted engagement strategy to reach over 10 million students across more than 20,000 dual-enrollment high schools and 935 community colleges nationwide.”

As part of the All Secure portfolio of initiatives, Girl Security will also build on its current programmatic model to expand its suite of supportive services for mentees and fellows entering the workforce. Through its wrap-around program, Girl Security will offer stipends and engage partners to provide upfront professional costs and requirements such as clothing and transportation, which will help contribute to the self-efficacy and self-confidence of a new generation of security leaders.

With the introduction of All Secure, Girl Security further cements its role as the leading force driving meaningful change across the security sector. The organization’s experience with, and access to, America’s future workforce and national security thought leaders is an advantage to any industry or business seeking to recruit and retain a skilled and diverse workforce. For additional information about Girl Security and All Secure, please visit https://www.girlsecurity.org/

About Girl Security
Girl Security is a national, nonprofit organization that promotes the inclusion and advancement of girls, women, and gender minorities from diverse communities in the security sector. Through a holistic approach that includes early-stage mentorship, financially-supported workforce training, and supportive professional advancement services, Girl Security is advancing generations of youth who have long been excluded from this consequential sector. Through a series of industry-level initiatives designed to join youth alongside thought leaders and decision makers, Girl Security is driving a new, more sustainable model for the future of the security sector.