Washington, August 12, 2025, PR Newswire—IronCircle, the AI-powered cybersecurity workforce platform, today announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Barbara Massa, former Executive Vice President at Google Cloud and Mandiant, and Dr. Avi Rubin, cybersecurity pioneer, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University.
Barbara Massa brings over 25 years of operational and talent leadership experience in high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise technology companies. As Partner and COO at NightDragon, she supports portfolio companies in areas such as talent, operations, and organizational strategy. Her previous leadership roles include EVP and Chief of Business Operations at Mandiant (acquired by Google Cloud), Vice President at McAfee, and senior leadership positions at EMC and Documentum. Massa is a recognized thought leader in talent innovation, serving on several boards across the cybersecurity and technology industries.
“IronCircle is doing what so many organizations talk about but few actually deliver: real, scalable workforce transformation,” said Barbara Massa. “This platform bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world readiness, and I’m excited to help shape its next stage of growth as it builds the cybersecurity talent pipeline the world urgently needs.”
Dr. Avi Rubin is one of the nation’s foremost experts in computer security, with over two decades of experience in academia and nearly a decade in industry. He is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, where he also served as Technical Director of the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute. Rubin has been instrumental in shaping cybersecurity education and policy, including research that uncovered vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems and expert testimony before Congress. He is also the founder of Harbor Labs, a leading consultancy providing cybersecurity guidance to medical device manufacturers.
“As someone who’s spent a career in both academic cybersecurity and applied security research, I see IronCircle as a vital bridge between the two,” said Dr. Avi Rubin. “Its hands-on, AI-powered platform reflects how cybersecurity education must evolve. It’s more immersive, more dynamic, and closely tied to real-world threats. I’m honored to support this mission.”
Their appointments bolster IronCircle’s strategic bench as the company deepens its partnerships across higher education, government, and enterprise sectors. With deep expertise spanning operational scale, talent development, and academic rigor, Massa and Rubin will help guide IronCircle’s next phase of growth, ensuring delivery on its mission to train resilient, job-ready cybersecurity professionals at a global scale.
“Barbara and Avi represent the perfect mix of operational expertise, academic leadership, and technological innovation,” said Foster. “They’ll play a critical role in guiding our mission to create a smarter, more resilient cybersecurity workforce, built for the threats of today and the innovations of tomorrow. They know what it takes to build and protect at scale and will help us with our mission to pressure-test and prove cybersecurity potential through immersive, AI-powered training that prepares professionals to lead in the AI age.”