Transforming Tech Talent: Cybersecurity, AI, and Equity

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I'm Jeff Kavanaugh, Global Head of the Infosys Knowledge Institute. And we're here at Infosys Foundation USA Crossroads 2025, where leaders across education, technology and social impact have come together to shape the future of learning.

I'm joined by Janel Merritt, Chief Operating Officer of PS2G. And with over 20 years in tech, Janel leads national expansion and overseas workforce development at the Walter Reed Infrastructure Academy, which trains underrepresented communities in cybersecurity and cloud computing.

She's a passionate mentor. Janel also has honors, including the Washington Business Journal's Leader of the Year. So Janel, thanks for joining.

Janel Merritt:

Thank you for having me.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I'm very excited about this. How has your diverse background, both in Fortune 100 partnerships, nonprofit leadership, influenced your approach at PS2G?

Janel Merritt:

Wow, that's a great question. I would have to say that I've been able to bring both worlds together. So more so the corporate precision along with, and I meant to say corporate precision, braces, and the community impact. Bringing them two together provides scalability, provides an ability to be able to manage risk and provide operational excellence all in one.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

All being applied to a North Star of a good cause.

Janel Merritt:

Exactly, Public Sectors Academy, which is the Walter Reed Infrastructure Academy, where we train and certify the underrepresented communities in cybersecurity, software integration testing, and cloud infrastructure. We actually partner with industry, meaning organizations like Exelon, Accenture, Infosys to be able to provide mentorship, to be able to provide support after the 12-week course, where they're able to go into different organizations as apprentices with the hopes of being hired. So, I've been able to take my experiences and my passion to serve and bring them together, understanding and knowing that everything is about opportunity.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Yeah, well said. Can you share a success story that brings one of those to life?

Janel Merritt:

So, yeah, I would say our first cohort was pretty transformational for me. To be able to watch some of our cyber learners go from either a barista or someone that's being newly introduced into the cyber world but has a little bit of technology and within a matter of months swiping their badge as an employee for their company that they work for at a billion dollar organization, that's pretty successful.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

It is and it casts such a long shadow because it's their career, they become role models, there's just so much of a positive ripple effect, isn't it?

Janel Merritt:

It is, and what we're actually finding is that we're having a very strong referral base. So we're watching generations impacted, which is excellent.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Awesome. Building on that, since the Knowledge Institute, which I represent, is about thought leadership. How do you apply thought leadership in what you're doing to get the word out, to build support, whether it's for funding, whether using your facts or research or stories? How do you incorporate that into your mission?

Janel Merritt:

So not only am I supporting the effort with my speaking engagements and the forums and the round tables to basically explain, you know, someone mentioned it was charity. I wouldn't necessarily say it's charity, leaving it on the table like that. This is a growth strategy. So we're an IT consulting firm where we provide systems and software implementations, professional services. We're growing our own talent.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Right, expanding the workforce.

Janel Merritt:

Exactly, exactly. So we've got apprentices, new hires, credentialing, wage growth, all of that. And that's what we talk about.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

And beyond hiring these folks, you're also sending the message out that you're the kind of place people want to work.

Janel Merritt:

Exactly, and we do hire some of the apprentices or the learners after they've completed the course. Yes.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Well, in a little bit of self-interest here, how has your collaboration with the Infosys Foundation USA evolved and Springboard as well, and how has that helped expand access to your scholars?

Janel Merritt:

That partnership has been amazing. Did you know how we met?

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I do not.

Janel Merritt:

So, your foundation and Public Sector Solutions Group, we were awarded Diverse Business Supplier of the Year in 2023 and in 2024. Kate and I were sitting next to one another and just simply thought, you know, these awards are definitely appreciated and great, but how do we make it grow? How do we simply give back? And we decided to collaborate and simply partner in this effort. And it's actually taken on a life of its own because other awardees are also talking and strategizing to do the same. But this partnership has definitely, definitely been rewarding. So your curriculum reinforces and complements our curriculum and that's all of the areas. That's the software and testing, that's the cyber as well as the cloud, the mobile access, which basically removes some of the barriers for some of our students. So that's definitely excellent. The content is relatable. The use case is excellent. So I would definitely say in addition to that, it provides instructional support, which is great. So, we appreciate it. And then we also utilize the career navigation portion.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Those pathways.

Janel Merritt:

Those pathways, and that's the exact reason why we have the academy. We are creating pathways. So we utilize some of the curriculum for career navigation, the critical thinking, the problem solving, resume preparation, and interviewing skills.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Since we are talking about tech here somewhat, let's bring in AI and machine learning. How are these shaping the future of workforce development?

Janel Merritt:

I would say that we're focusing on making sure that the learners understand that the AI is a smart tool. So with that, we're teaching the students to question and to get involved in the design, to get involved in the analysis portion of it. It is a smart tool. There's still the human centered portion that's necessary, which causes the learners to really master collaboration. And so that's extremely important.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Awesome. Well, what trends or technologies do you see having an impact both on the future of cybersecurity and also just the equity and the access associated with it as well?

Janel Merritt:

You know what, it's not necessarily about access. I think it's about shaping the future of AI or technology. What we're also seeing is a lot of open-source tools, right? But then, this is all causing us to look at ethical frameworks, right? I think those are the two main drivers that we're seeing right now. Those are very, very important. And when I say ethical frameworks, I'm not just speaking of from the student standpoint, but educators are also having to actually create policies and regulations around that as well.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Brave new world for sure.

Janel Merritt:

Yes.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Thank you so much for sharing your insights. It's been a real pleasure and I really hope you enjoy the conference.

Janel Merritt:

Thank you for having me.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

You bet. And for all, as we like to say at the Knowledge Institute, keep learning and keep sharing.