CSUSB Cybersecurity Center Team

Tony Coulson, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Cybersecurity Center and full professor of Information and Decision Science in the Jack H. Brown College at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). During his tenure at CSUSB, Tony has led more than 20 grant-funded cybersecurity projects totaling over $18 million. Dr. Coulson also led the establishment of a nationally acclaimed cybersecurity program that spans business, computer science, national security studies, criminal justice, and public administration. The program is designated as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.

Dr. Coulson is a globally recognized cybersecurity expert and leads the CAE Community Cybersecurity Education (caecommunity.org) as an NSA National Resource Center for over 265 colleges and universities. He has consulted on cybersecurity issues for Congress, federal agencies, and private organizations. He belongs to several boards and has won numerous academic, national, and community awards. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Coulson had a successful industry career for over 17 years as an executive and an entrepreneur, starting his first successful technology business when he was 14 years old. He holds a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Claremont Graduate University.

Vincent Nestler, Ph.D., holds a doctoral degree in instructional design, masters in both network security from Capitol Technology University, and a M.A.T. from Columbia University. He is the author of the Principles of Computer Security, Lab Manual, published by McGraw Hill. Dr. Nestler is a cybersecurity consultant and educator with over 20 years of experience in network administration and security. He served as a Data Communications Maintenance Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. During his service, he designed and implemented the training for Marines assigned to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Computer Emergency Response Team. He also served as the Assistant Operations Officer (training) for the Joint Broadcast System, during its transition to DISA.

Since 2007, Dr. Nestler has been integral to training CyberCorps® students at Idaho State University and at California State University, San Bernardino. He is the principal investigator for the NICE Challenge Project (nice-challenge.com) – serving over 400 schools, nationwide. The NICE Challenge Project develops real-world hands-on scenarios that provide students with cybersecurity workforce experience before joining the workforce. Currently, he is an assistant professor at California State University, San Bernardino. Dr. Nestler has held numerous professional certifications to include the Security+, Network+, and A+, ACE, MPE, MCSE, MCT, RHCE and others. He has over 25 years of experience teaching and has been instrumental in developing a wide range of curriculum, from grade school to secondary education, higher education and graduate school.

Charles Rouse is the Community College Cyber Pilot (C3P) program manager for the Cybersecurity Center in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). His appointment is a new department position, commissioned by the National Science Foundation to support the CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program extension to community colleges across the Nation.

Charles fulfills a vital role in shaping the training structure and career development for the Armed Forces Veterans and bachelor’s degree-holding scholarship recipients pursuing associate degrees or certifications in cybersecurity. Charles is also the advisor of the CSUSB chartered Pan-African STEM Society, Coyote Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Club, Coyote Karate Club, and Cyber Squad outreach programs of CSUSB’s Cyber Intelligence & Security Organization (CISO). He is a U.S. Army veteran and CSUSB Business/Cybersecurity alumnus.

Robin Robertson has been the Administrative Assistant for the Cybersecurity Center for the past 8 years. In her role, she works closely with both Cybersecurity staff and students in our CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Robin handles the financial resources and professional development activities our SFS students require for successful completion of the program.

Robin’s budgeting skills have played a critical role in maintaining numerous of our grant-sponsored programs. She is involved in our annual GenCyber Camp, funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and our CAE Community Symposium, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

In addition to budgeting, Robin’s skills in time-management and planning have helped in the administrative process for our Department of Defense (DoD) Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (CySP) and SFS Program. Helping students, Robin ensures students are aware of deadlines, requirements, and eligibility criterion prior to submitting their applications.

Before coming to California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), Robin worked for 7 years in the Undergraduate Admissions office as the Applications Coordinator for her alma matter, Southern California College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing.