About us

Our story is simple: in the face of ever-changing cyber threats, more Alberta organizations are interested in working together and with governments to protect themselves and the people they serve.

Alberta’s government created the CyberAlberta Community of Interest in 2022 to help strengthen the province’s overall cybersecurity posture through information sharing and collaboration.

We aim to equip public and private organizations with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to protect themselves and their clients.

We are a made-in-Alberta solution that focuses on:

Equipping public and private entities with skills, knowledge, and resources
Promoting best practices in cybersecurity
Exploring and understanding threats and how to respond to them
Protecting Albertans, their personal information, and the services they rely on
Protecting critical infrastructure
Developing new cyber talent across Alberta to address the growing demand for skilled individuals

As our organization grows, we look forward to playing a leading role in protecting Alberta’s cyber-space and addressing global challenges in cybersecurity.

Members

Over 650 individual members representing more than 350 public and private sector organizations in Alberta have joined CyberAlberta's Community of Interest. These sectors are split approximately 60% private and 40% public. We are proud to share CyberAlberta organizations are compromised of municipalities, towns, school boards, postsecondary institutions, libraries, non-profits, and private businesses.

The CyberAlberta team

Martin Dinel | BSc, ISP, ITCP, CISSP

Chief Information Security Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister
Cybersecurity Division
Technology and Innovation – Government of Alberta

Martin Dinel is a trusted information technology and cybersecurity professional with over 35 years of leadership experience. As Chief Information Security Officer for the Government of Alberta (GoA), Martin is defining the organization’s cybersecurity vision and strategy to counter cyber threats and ensure the protection of Alberta’s digital assets. Throughout his career, Martin worked in leadership positions in information technology and cybersecurity with various public and private sector organizations. In 2015, he joined the GoA as Chief Information Security Officer, taking on a mentorship role to develop a new cybersecurity centre of excellence, ensuring that Albertans can benefit from a strong, safe and secure Alberta cyberspace.

Rachel Hayward | MPA, CRISC, FIP

Executive Director of CyberAlberta
Cybersecurity Division
Ministry of Technology and Innovation

Rachel is a recognized leader in privacy and information security, well-known on the Alberta speaking circuit. She is a passionate advocate for women in IT, fostering relationships and uniting diverse perspectives to achieve common goals. Rachel brings extensive experience and deep expertise in Cybersecurity and Privacy to the CyberAlberta team.

Her recent roles include serving on NAIT’s Cybersecurity Program Advisory Committee, also lecturing at NAIT, and acting as a privacy and technology law expert for private industry. Rachel has also served over 12 years with the Alberta Privacy Commissioner’s Office, more than six of which as their Director of Compliance and Special Investigations.

Stuart Lee | ABCP, CISSP

Director, Cybersecurity Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Engagement
Cybersecurity Division
Ministry of Technology and Innovation

Stuart Lee has been with the Government of Alberta for over 27 years and joined the Corporate Information Security Office (now the Cybersecurity Division) in 2010. His experience in Information Technology includes operations management, client services, project management, IT disaster recovery, business continuity and cyber security. He is currently the Director of Cybersecurity Strategy and External Stakeholder Engagement and is responsible for facilitating the development of strategic and tactical plans for the CyberAlberta program. His main roles include working with the Ministry of Education and their partners to incorporate more cybersecurity into the K-12 curriculum and act as a liaison with external Alberta stakeholders providing leadership in matters of cybersecurity.

Daniel Cherrington | ITIL

Manager, Cybersecurity Strategy and Planning & Stakeholder Engagement
Cybersecurity Division
Ministry of Technology & Innovation

Daniel Cherrington has been with the Government of Alberta for over 15 years. With a decade of experience as a Cybersecurity Manager and Security Officer, I've served as the principal Ministry Information Security Officer and have been recognized as a Sector Information Security Officer across various ministries. With over 20 years of hands-on experience in frontline cybersecurity, including IT disaster recovery, cybersecurity operations, incident triage / response, and application architecture and security, I bring a wealth of expertise to the table. I am enthusiastic about the opportunities presented within the CyberAlberta community and am honored to be a part of such an esteemed team.

Krystyna Cynar | ITIL, BRM

Director, Threat Intelligence and Reporting
Cybersecurity Division
Ministry of Technology and Innovation

Krystyna Cynar has over 25 years of public service experience, specializing in Information Management Technology program development and service delivery. Her expertise spans risk governance, infrastructure operations, and portfolio management. In 2022, she joined to the Cybersecurity Division as the Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence and Reporting. In her new role, she supports the Alberta Cybersecurity Strategy by providing invaluable insights into potential threats facing the Government of Alberta (GoA) and CyberAlberta stakeholders. Her primary responsibilities include collaborating closely with GoA teams to identify potential threats, assess their severity and impact, and provide comprehensive reports on cyber threat intelligence findings to empower informed decision-making and robust risk management strategies.

Paul Tam | MISSM, BAIST, CISSP, CCSP, CRISC, CCP, ABCP

Manager, Cybersecurity Awareness Program
Cybersecurity Division
Ministry of Technology and Innovation

Paul is a dedicated cybersecurity professional with over 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, specializing in Cybersecurity and Information Technology management. He is currently leading initiatives aimed at empowering Albertans with the knowledge, tools, and skills necessary to protect themselves and their organizations from cyber threats. Passionate about digital safety, Paul’s mission is to equip individuals and businesses to remain vigilant, resilient, and proactive in the face of evolving cyber risks.