#ShareTheMicInCyber x New America Fellowship

In 2020, #ShareTheMicInCyber began as a way to meet the urgent need of the moment. At that time, that need was visibility and our platform served as the means to generate visibility for Black cyber professionals across the cybersecurity community. As the world changed, so did the mission–in transitioning the movement to a fellowship, the goal was to expand intellectual discourse providing the access to diverse midcareer professionals that yielded transformational work. In response to that call we’ve spent three years investing in mid-career cybersecurity and tech talent.

Impact

Over the past three years, #ShareTheMicInCyber has supported 21 Fellows and produced 14 research products that address emerging technology issues from artificial intelligence, data privacy, and tech-facilitated human harms. 

As of October 2025, our program’s impact on the Fellows’ professional trajectories and on tech policy is notable:

  • Fellows were featured in 32 public appearances across podcasts, events, and written media, where they spoke about their research projects and findings, or added expert commentary to current events related to their focus areas.

  • 17 unique outlets featured our research or our Fellows, inviting them to speak or write pieces on their research. The outlets in turn reached audiences who were leaders in the tech and cybersecurity industry, policy leaders and researchers, and students and young leaders interested in the impact of tech in their lives.

  • Fellows have spoken to private sector audiences through RSA Conference and Rubrik Zero Labs, to policymakers through written pieces in CyberScoop and POLITICO as well as meetings with Congress and Executive branch agencies, and to industry professionals through the Caveat by N2K podcast and CSO Online.

  • Our reports garnered 16,831 views through the New America website, with several that were viewed months after their initial publication.

  • Professional development impact highlights:

    • Gabrielle: credits STMIC directly for helping her transition to AI Policy office with Commonwealth of PA

    • Michael Razeeq: Continuing his fellowship research at Berkeley's Center for Long Term Cybersecurity.

About the Fellowship

The #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellowship (#STMIC Fellowship) invests, grows, and platforms emerging cybersecurity and technology leaders from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in support of strengthening our nation’s resilience to digital threats. Our fellowship program provides professionals with an opportunity to conduct policy research and analysis, access professional development, examine critical cyber security issues, and explore questions of diversity and the human side of cybersecurity. We believe that the cybersecurity workforce must be representative of our nation's citizenship, is vital to national security, and we are focused on investing in promising leaders reflective of our nation and global community.

During the course of their year-long fellowship with New America, #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellows will conduct an independent research project. Their first nine months will be dedicated to professional development and planning, researching, and finalizing their work product. The final months of the program are dedicated to promoting their research work with the help of New America and program staff.

Our team of strategic thinkers and doers, including Camille Stewart Gloster, Christina Morillo, Bridget Chan, Lauren Zabierek, and Peter Singer are experts in technology, cybersecurity, and national security, having served at the highest levels of government and industry, putting policy into action, building enterprise security programs, and having created coalitions for public good. This leadership team partners with fellows to develop their ideas, whether policy, programmatic, or new capability, beyond research to implementable solutions.

Learn more about the program here: https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/stmic-fellowship/

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

“As modern cybersecurity threats evolve into new and more dangerous attacks - and as the industry seeks skilled workers - we need an arsenal of different ideas that represent all backgrounds. The #ShareTheMicinCyber Fellowship will amplify diverse talent and bring new voices and ideas to the industry and ultimately make us all safer and more secure..”

— Royal Hansen, VP of Security, Google (blog)

 

“Diversity is strength, and that's particularly true in matters of national security, no more so than regarding cybersecurity.”

— Craig Newmark, Craig Newmark Philanthropies

“"Solving the most challenging problems in cybersecurity requires diverse teams & skills -this partnership is going to help our industry by funding fellows to drive innovation in the field. Twitter is excited to join #ShareTheMicInCyber as an early funder & partner.".”

— Rinki Sethi, CISO, Twitter

 

“#ShareTheMicInCyber mission for equality, opportunity, & sponsorship for Black+ cyber professionals is expanding with NewAmerica. Join the movement and build more diverse and inclusive cybersecurity leadership that will result in better digital safety for the world!.”

— Dave Kleidermacher, VP Android Security & Privacy

If you’d like to help us meet our funding goals to sustain this fellowship, please reach out to us.