The Intersection of Cybersecurity and Child Protection

Carri Burgjohann has always believed that all children, regardless of their zip code, are worthy of safe and supportive environments. This is evident in her career choices thus far, which has spanned everything from K-12 schools, camps, ministries and nonprofits, to aquatics, risk management, compliance, child protection and safety. Driven by her passion for keeping children safe in an increasingly digital world, Burgjohann made the unique choice to pursue a certificate in Cybersecurity Management at UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Her goal was to combine her expertise in child and youth protection with advanced knowledge of online security to better equip herself to safeguard children from emerging online risks.

Learn about the Cybersecurity Management Certificate

The Cybersecurity Management Certificate program has given Burgjohann the confidence and knowledge to take her career to the next level. She explained, “The program enhanced my skill set to continue having conversations with the many organizations that work to create safer virtual spaces for children and youth. Many organizations are undertaking this work (and doing it well!) and I like to think of myself as the hub of the wagon wheel connecting all the spokes together for these conversations.”

Burgjohann is currently based out of Cincinnati, Ohio where she serves as the Director of Child Protection and Safety at YMCA of the USA. She began the Cybersecurity Management Certificate program while she was working as the Manager of the Office of Youth Protection at UVA, a centralized office that ensures youth programs comply with applicable laws and policies. Although she has since moved back to Ohio, she has a love for the Charlottesville area and strong ties to the University of Virginia. 

While working at UVA, Burgjohann had the opportunity to visit UVA's College at Wise. She heard a speaker there who is an expert in threat assessment, and she says it made her think about some big questions: How do threat assessment and child protection work together? And, what is the largest threat to the safety of children and youth right now that we know about? How can we do a better job of connecting all the moving parts? As she sat in her hotel room in Wise, she pondered those big questions and was inspired to dig deeper. 

When she started the Cybersecurity Management Certificate program, Burgjohann was nervous that she would need a lot of technical knowledge. She was relieved to find out that this was not the case at all. She explained, “I appreciated that the instructors met the students where they were, valuing their lived experiences and giving us the flexibility and freedom to layer the course content over our current work roles or what we were curious about.” 

In all of her courses, Burgjohann gained knowledge that she could immediately implement in the workplace. Her instructors brought examples from their work in cybersecurity to the classroom, which made the program feel both relevant and well-informed. The coursework prepared her to hold her own in conversations with everyone from the people who know the ins and outs of the technology all the way to the end users (parents, caregivers and youth). 

Burgjohann believes one of the courses that helped her the most was focused on writing and communications in a technical field. She shared, “I've always considered myself a decent communicator. The course encouraged me to refine my voice through a group project that required us to bring together a diverse range of perspectives to gain buy-in. It was humbling! When there are multiple competing priorities for people's attention and you're trying to describe something that doesn’t have a lot of buy-in, you have to be able to speak to the technical elements, translate it to audiences who may not know the jargon or the structure and deliver a compelling enough story about why it matters.” 

Burgjohann's advice for anyone considering a Cybersecurity Management certificate is, “Whatever set of life experiences you have will be relevant in the program. Get to know your instructors and show up for office hours. One of the best conversations I had during my time in the program was a one-on-one with an instructor who challenged me to think about what I want in my career 10 years from now. He encouraged me to see that people with a skill set or mindset for cybersecurity will continue to be in high demand in the job market in the future, and that this program could be a lily pad for me to achieve my goals.”

Learn more about the Cybersecurity Management Certificate program