Center for Cybersecurity Education Faculty

Associate Professor Karla Carter draws on more years than she should admit of information technology experience to teach undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity courses in social engineering and security awareness, information warfare, white-collar crime, security operations, and information technology ethics for Bellevue University. Since arriving at Bellevue University in 2006, she has been honored with the Excellence in Online Teaching Award from Bellevue University in 2009, the Excellence in Teaching Award from Bellevue University in 2020, and the Excellence in Service Award from Bellevue University in 2023.

Carter holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from Bellevue University, a Master of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as certifications in SANS Security Awareness Professional (SSAP), Security Awareness and Culture Professional (SACP), Security+, MCSD.NET, MCSD, MCAD, MCP, and MCT. She is interested in correlations between the Big5/OCEAN personality measure and cybersecurity awareness.

Dr. Jason Ferguson, Associate Professor and Program Director, has more than 15 years of combined experience as faculty and as an IT manager and consultant. Dr. Ferguson teaches Enterprise Database Management Systems, Human Computer Interaction, Programming; Systems Analysis and Design, Network/Information Security, Network Infrastructure, and Business Intelligence, among other courses. His research interests include IT curriculum, Human Computer Interaction, and Virtual Private Networks.

Dr. Ferguson received a Ph.D. in Information Systems as well as a Master of Science in Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems (CIS). He is a Microsoft Certified Professional, Citrix Certified Administrator, and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Eric Jackson, MS, joins the faculty with extensive experience in Cybersecurity and computer programming spanning over 25 years. His extensive real-world experience equips him to provide students with invaluable insights and practical skills in this critical field. Eric believes that the security field is the most rewarding field in IT for those who put in the time and effort to learn as much as they can about it. For over a decade, Eric has held leadership positions in various organizations, including Fiserv and West Corporations as a Director of Cybersecurity. After his direction at these companies, he became a private consultant, acting as a Chief Information Security Officer for numerous clients. He brings expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive security programs across government, military, and civilian sectors.

His technical expertise and interests focus on the technological arena of network security, as well as the impact that security technology has on business and people. In his spare time, Eric works on various computer-related hobbies, such as building IOT devices and 3D printing, in addition to security research. Eric’s main form of relaxation is cooking, and he has cooked nearly every day for the last 15 years.

Dr. McKee holds a Ph.D. in Cyber Defense with a dissertation in Privacy and has over 20 years of industry experience. She started her career as a software developer and spent eight years in various roles of the software development lifecycle including quality assurance, business analyst and project management. Dr. McKee then transitioned to security and compliance where her experience includes IT audit, third party risk management, security, governance, risk, compliance, and privacy. She is a founding partner of American Security and Privacy where she provides security and privacy products and services such as compliance assessments, training, program development and leadership as a virtual Data Protection Officer (vDPO) for companies globally. She is a highly regarded privacy expert, international speaker, and keynotes events worldwide.

Dr. McKee is passionate about privacy and began formally teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in security and privacy in 2021. She has created and taught security and privacy courses at several universities and enjoys conducting research in privacy and has co-authored several student led research projects. Dr. McKee actively supports several students working on their graduate degrees as a member of their dissertation committees and shares her passion for teaching and learning with others as an APMG Certified ISACA Trainer and mentor.

As a member of the Accredited Standards Committee X9 Dr. McKee provides input on industry standards and has contributed to several NIST standards and lead the Privacy Workforce Working Group (PWWG) for Risk Assessment. Additionally she has participated on the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Privacy Engineering Advisory Board and currently participates on several working groups for ISACA. She has written items for industry certification exams for ISACA and IAPP. Actively engaged in the community Dr. McKee is a member of the ISACA Omaha Chapter Board, attends several professional events and mentors members. Dr. McKee has contributed to several industry articles and co-authored a Data Privacy Management textbook.