{"id":90638,"date":"2020-06-16T12:52:28","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T16:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=90638"},"modified":"2020-06-16T12:52:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T16:52:28","slug":"alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumna, COO Scales Cybersecurity Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout her four-year college career, Megan Carter Shepherd \u201994 broke records with the Mary Washington swim team, winning championships and earning a top spot in the Capital Athletic Conference.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_90641\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90641\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"90641\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/mshepherd-112019\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"MShepherd 112019\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;1994 alumna Megan Carter Shepherd double majored in math and computer science while also breaking records for the Mary Washington swim team. She&amp;#8217;s now the Chief Operations Officer of SimVentions, a cybersecurity company in Stafford. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-200x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-90641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Megan Carter Shepherd '94 double majored in math and computer science while also breaking records for the Mary Washington swim team. She's now the COO of SimVentions, an engineering services company in Stafford. \" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-200x300.jpg 200w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-683x1024.jpg 683w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-768x1152.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-760x1140.jpg 760w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-400x600.jpg 400w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MShepherd-112019-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-90641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Megan Carter Shepherd &#8217;94 double majored in math and computer science while also breaking records for the Mary Washington swim team. She&#8217;s now the COO of SimVentions, an engineering services company in Stafford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But Goolrick Pool wasn\u2019t the only place she made a splash. Double majoring in math and computer science, Shepherd dove into numbers, equations and formulas \u2013 expertise she relies on in her new role as chief operating officer of SimVentions. The Stafford-based engineering services company counts the Navy, Marine Corps and NSWC Dahlgren as customers. Protecting clients\u2019 data, assets and information is more important than ever, she said, since many organizations have shifted to telework due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCybersecurity wasn\u2019t even something that was discussed when I first graduated,\u201d Shepherd said of her field, which employs only about 20 percent women, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. \u201cNow it\u2019s at the forefront of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She encourages those beginning their careers to secure a cybersecurity certification, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2019\/10\/15\/cybersecurity-certification-program-to-foster-regions-tech-talent\/\">like the one UMW introduced last fall<\/a>. She also recommends finding a mentor and establishing relationships with professors like the ones she found at Mary Washington.<\/p>\n<p>A competitive distance swimmer who set the CAC record for the 500 freestyle during her freshman and sophomore years, Shepherd said that her affinity for math \u2013 and her choice to major in it \u2013 mirrors her love of swimming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a swimmer, you develop a winning strategy by pacing yourself and trying to tire out your opponent,\u201d Shepherd said. \u201cMath, with its logic, proofs and theorems, is all about figuring out a \u2018winning\u2019 solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She was unsure what career she\u2019d pursue, until professors Ernest Ackerman and Martha Zaidman convinced her to plunge into computer science. \u201cIt took an extra semester to finish that major, but it was worth it!\u201d said Shepherd, who later completed an internship testing software in Culpeper.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/16\\\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 392px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"392\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 579px; height: 392px;\" data-original-width=\"579\" data-original-height=\"392\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/mwc-graduation-1994\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"575\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"388\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"90642\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Graduation-1994.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"538,363\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"MWC Graduation 1994\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Graduation-1994-300x202.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Graduation-1994.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Graduation-1994.jpg?w=575&#038;h=388&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Graduation-1994.jpg 538w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Graduation-1994-300x202.jpg 300w\" width=\"575\" height=\"388\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"575\" data-original-height=\"388\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"MWC Graduation 1994\" alt=\"&quot;My favorite thing about my time at Mary Washington was the friendships I made,&quot; said Shepherd, seen here at her 1994 graduation (fifth from right). &quot;I still keep in touch with friends and former roommates and swim teammates.&quot;\" style=\"width: 575px; height: 388px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> &#8220;My favorite thing about my time at Mary Washington was the friendships I made,&#8221; said Shepherd, seen here at her 1994 graduation (fifth from right). &#8220;I still keep in touch with friends and former roommates and swim teammates.&#8221; <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 521px; height: 392px;\" data-original-width=\"521\" data-original-height=\"392\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/mwc-swimteam-1990-91\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"517\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"388\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"90643\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"MWC Swimteam 1990-91\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91.jpg?w=517&#038;h=388&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91.jpg 960w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91-300x225.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91-768x576.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/MWC-Swimteam-1990-91-600x450.jpg 600w\" width=\"517\" height=\"388\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"517\" data-original-height=\"388\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"MWC Swimteam 1990-91\" alt=\"Shepherd (front row, fourth from right) with the Mary Washington 1990-91 women&#039;s swim team. A competitive distance swimmer, Shepherd set the CAC record for the 500 freestyle during her freshman and sophomore years.\" style=\"width: 517px; height: 388px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Shepherd (front row, fourth from right) with the Mary Washington 1990-91 women&#8217;s swim team. A competitive distance swimmer, Shepherd set the CAC record for the 500 freestyle during her freshman and sophomore years. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>After graduation, Shepherd moved home to New Jersey, putting her degree to work developing databases and software for clients like AT&amp;T. She returned to Fredericksburg for a job at Booz Allen Hamilton in Dahlgren, where she often collaborated with SimVentions on projects. Drawn to its emphasis on values, and its dedication to its employees and customers, she accepted a position at the company in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany organizations talk about their culture, but SimVentions lives it,\u201d said Shepherd, who, until recently, served as vice president for its cybersecurity group.<\/p>\n<p>As COO, she oversees the company\u2019s technical groups, human resources, security, operations support and the chief engineer. With much of SimVentions\u2019 300-plus member staff working remotely due to the pandemic, they\u2019re using tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WebEx to provide clients with quality support and solutions to protect against threats and vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSafety is of the utmost concern. With the work that we do in support of the Department of Defense, many employees still continue to work from their customer locations,\u201d Shepherd said, adding that members of her staff have volunteered to make masks for those on the base.<\/p>\n<p>Often juggling a busy schedule, Shepherd relies on time management skills she honed in college. But during the quarantine, she\u2019s finding opportunities to work out and take walks with her husband, son and two dogs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/16\\\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 550px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"550\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 550px; height: 550px;\" data-original-width=\"550\" data-original-height=\"550\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/carter-jm-grad\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"546\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"546\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"90639\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"315,315\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Carter JM Grad\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad-300x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad.jpg?w=546&#038;h=546&#038;crop=1&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad.jpg 315w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad-300x300.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad-150x150.jpg 150w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad-50x50.jpg 50w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carter-JM-Grad-75x75.jpg 75w\" width=\"546\" height=\"546\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"546\" data-original-height=\"546\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Carter JM Grad\" alt=\"The Shepherds celebrate son Carter, who recently graduated from James Monroe High School.\" style=\"width: 546px; height: 546px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> The Shepherds celebrate son Carter, who recently graduated from James Monroe High School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 550px; height: 550px;\" data-original-width=\"550\" data-original-height=\"550\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/jm-swim-state-meet\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"546\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"546\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"90640\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1440,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"JM Swim State Meet\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-300x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-1024x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet.jpg?w=546&#038;h=546&#038;crop=1&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet.jpg 1440w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-300x300.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-150x150.jpg 150w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-768x768.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-1140x1140.jpg 1140w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-600x600.jpg 600w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-50x50.jpg 50w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/JM-Swim-State-Meet-75x75.jpg 75w\" width=\"546\" height=\"546\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"546\" data-original-height=\"546\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"JM Swim State Meet\" alt=\"Shepherd with her son, Carter, who will attend college in Pennsylvania this fall. A recent James Monroe High School graduate, Carter swam for the high school&#039;s swim team under Konrad Heller, Shepherd&#039;s former teammate.\" style=\"width: 546px; height: 546px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Shepherd with her son, Carter, who will attend college in Pennsylvania this fall. A recent James Monroe High School graduate, Carter swam for the high school&#8217;s swim team under Konrad Heller, Shepherd&#8217;s former teammate. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>Once the pandemic is over, Shepherd is looking forward to seeing her son, Carter, who graduated from James Monroe High School this spring, head off to play college lacrosse in Pennsylvania. But she\u2019ll miss watching his swim practices at Goolrick Pool. Her former teammate, Konrad Heller \u201994, was his coach for three years, and some days, Shepherd said, it felt like she had never left her alma mater.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStanding on the pool deck, watching our kids swim together,\u201d she said, \u201csurrounded by championship flags and pictures of our time at Mary Washington, was a surreal experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout her four-year college career, Megan Carter Shepherd \u201994 broke records with the Mary Washington swim team, winning championships and earning a top spot in the Capital Athletic Conference. But Goolrick Pool wasn\u2019t the only place she made a splash. Double majoring in math and computer science, Shepherd dove into numbers, equations and formulas \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1236,"featured_media":90644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[14240,12002,12000],"topics":[5145],"class_list":{"0":"post-90638","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-cybersecurity-certificate","9":"tag-department-of-computer-science","10":"tag-department-of-mathematics","11":"topic-technology-humanity","12":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alumna, COO Scales Cybersecurity Career - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2020\/06\/16\/alumna-coo-scales-cybersecurity-career\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumna, COO Scales Cybersecurity Career\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Throughout her four-year college career, Megan Carter Shepherd \u201994 broke records with the Mary Washington swim team, winning championships and earning a top spot in the Capital Athletic Conference. But Goolrick Pool wasn\u2019t the only place she made a splash. 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