Virginia Cyber Range advisory chair testifies before Congress on cybersecurity education

The  Virginia Cyber Range, a statewide initiative housed at Virginia Tech, was highlighted during recent testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Kristi Rice, a cybersecurity teacher at Spotsylvania High School and chair of the K-12 Advisory Board for the Virginia Cyber Range, testified about the importance of hands-on learning and access to modern cybersecurity resources for students and educators.

Rice’s remarks, delivered as part of a national hearing on innovation in career and technical education, highlighted how the Virginia Cyber Range and U.S. Cyber Range of Virginia Tech provide cloud-hosted virtual environments that allow schools across the commonwealth and beyond to practice cybersecurity skills safely and effectively. Her testimony underscored the strength of Virginia Tech’s partnerships with educators, universities, and public-sector initiatives in developing the nation’s cybersecurity workforce.

“Virginia has a great initiative in the Virginia Cyber Range, which is a cloud-hosted virtual environment that all our schools can use to practice cybersecurity skills in a safe environment,” she told lawmakers.

Rice also discussed her work in the GenCyber Teacher Education Program at Virginia Tech and the University of North Georgia, a national initiative funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by the National Security Agency. In that role, she helped prepare new teachers to teach cybersecurity with confidence and supported efforts to expand access to cybersecurity education through competitions hosted on the Cyber Range’s CloudCTF platform.

“When we invest in educators, empower students, and create pathways that connect classrooms to real-world challenges, we don’t just prepare students for jobs; we prepare them to protect and lead in the digital frontier,” Rice said.

Rice received the U.S. Department of Education’s 2021 Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award for her leadership in advancing cybersecurity education across Virginia.

Shannon Beck, director of the Virginia and U.S. Cyber Range of Virginia Tech, said Rice’s testimony reflected the impact of Virginia’s collaborative model for cybersecurity education.

“Kristi Rice represents the kind of educator who turns innovation into opportunity,” Beck said. “Her student-centered approach to teaching not only builds technical skills but also inspires the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.”

Her testimony underscored the value of Virginia’s collaborative approach to cybersecurity education, which brings together K–12 educators, community colleges, universities, and state partners to strengthen the cybersecurity workforce pipeline.

Virginia Tech plays a key role in supporting this statewide effort. The university’s Division of Information Technology houses the Virginia Cyber Range and the U.S. Cyber Range of Virginia Tech, providing cloud-based learning environments, instructional resources, and educator support while coordinating contributions from institutional partners to strengthen cybersecurity education across the commonwealth and beyond.