Girl Scouts of the USA and Palo Alto Networks Host Cybersecurity Day on the Hill to Address Importance of Fostering Girls' Interest in Cybersecurity

Bipartisan members of Congress will sponsor the event, which will feature a CEO panel and hands-on activities for attending Girl Scouts.

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Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Oct 24, 2017, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks® (NYSE: PANW) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) today announced that they will cohost an event on Capitol Hill during National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Cybersecurity Day on the Hill, sponsored by a bi-partisan group of members of Congress, is designed to inspire the next generation of female cybersecurity professionals and encourage dialogue between the public and private sectors about developing a diverse talent pool to solve our toughest cybersecurity challenges.

Palo Alto Networks and GSUSA announced their collaboration in June 2017 to deliver the first-ever national Girl Scout Cybersecurity badges for girls in grades K–12. Led by a team of expert cybersecurity advisers, the two organizations expect to roll out the first in a series of 18 Cybersecurity badges to Girl Scouts throughout the country in September 2018.

At the event, Palo Alto Networks CEO and Chairman Mark D. McLaughlin and GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo will have a discussion about diversity and cybersecurity moderated by Lauren Prox, a Gold Award Girl Scout alumna from Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast in Virginia.

Also during the event, girls from Girl Scouts Nation's Capital in Washington, DC, will participate in an interactive activity, led by Palo Alto Networks experts, that teaches foundational cybersecurity skills.

The following Members of Congress are honorary co-hosts of the Cybsersecurity Day on the Hill:

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN)
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

QUOTES

"One of the motivating factors in my becoming an engineer and a rocket scientist was my Girl Scout experience. I am thrilled at the prospect of encouraging girls to fully embrace the possibilities of STEM and to focus on an issue of major national importance, Cybersecurity," said Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of GSUSA. "In collaboration with Palo Alto Networks, Girl Scouts is able to bring STEM to a new generation of girls across America in a way that is relevant for today's world. We are excited to demonstrate to our leaders in Congress how private enterprise and Girl Scouts can work together to address the skills gap in cybersecurity."

"Our collaboration with Girl Scouts of the USA provides girls in every zip code across the United States with access to cybersecurity education and mentors who can guide them towards career opportunities that they may have never otherwise known existed," said Mark McLaughlin, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks. "Meaningful investments made today by corporations and non-profits alike will ensure that the cyber workforce of our future is well equipped to solve tomorrow's toughest security challenges and help maintain trust in our digital age."

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About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is the next-generation security company, leading a new era in cybersecurity by safely enabling applications and preventing cyber breaches for thousands of organizations worldwide. Built with an innovative approach and highly differentiated cyberthreat prevention capabilities, our game-changing security platform delivers security far superior to legacy or point products, safely enables daily business operations, and protects an organization's most valuable assets. Find out more at www.paloaltonetworks.com.

About Girl Scouts of the USA
We're 2.6 million strong—1.8 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)^™ to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, we've honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We're the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit www.girlscouts.org.

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SOURCE Palo Alto Networks, Inc.