ACE Awards
The Aerospace Cybersecurity Excellence (ACE) Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to advancing cybersecurity, cyber resilience, and safety across the aviation and aerospace sectors. Presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as part of the President’s Forum on Research and Innovation: Aviation and Aerospace Cyber Resilience Symposium, the award honors leaders whose work has strengthened the security and resilience of increasingly interconnected aviation, aerospace, and space systems.
The award recognizes contributions in two areas: executive leadership, reflecting organizational, strategic, policy, and industry impact; and technical leadership, recognizing significant technical expertise, innovation, research, and advancement of aerospace cybersecurity capabilities. Please see below for past ACE award recipients.
| Year | Awardee | Organization | ACE Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Deneen DeFiore | Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, United Airlines | Executive leadership |
| Patrick Morrissey | Senior Technical Fellow, Collins Aerospace | Technical leadership | |
| 2024 | Luci Holemans | Executive Technical Advisor for Cybersecurity, FAA Air Traffic Organization | Executive leadership |
| Stefan Schwindt | Senior Principal for Aviation Cybersecurity, GE Aerospace | Technical leadership | |
| 2025 | Brian Connolly | Vice President and Chief Engineer for Product Security, The Boeing Company | Executive leadership |
| Paul Hoyt Nelson | Aviation Cybersecurity Lead, NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate | Technical leadership | |
| 2026 | Marty Reynolds | Managing Director of Cybersecurity, Airlines for America (A4A) | Executive leadership |
| Siobvan Nyikos | Technical Fellow, Boeing Commercial Airplane Product Security Engineering, The Boeing Company | Technical leadership |
https://erau.edu/about/news-and-stories/news/two-leaders-honored-at-cybersecurity-symposium