Meet Tennisha Martin

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tennisha Martin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tennisha, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

As a Black Engineer and Hacker, I have found myself being the only person in the room who looks like me, whether due to race, gender, or background, but I use those situations both as a challenge and an opportunity. When I got my first job as a security consultant (pentester), it was nine months before I saw another woman consultant and 18 months before I saw another Black woman (I referred her to the position). This was a difficult position because, many days, I found myself trying to convince myself that I deserved to be there. This required that I build my confidence and trust that I had earned my spot. I also had to build my resilience because being the only “anything” in the room can sometimes make it difficult to understand that your worth is not dependent on the approval of others. In these situations, I learned to embrace what makes me unique and use it as a way to differentiate myself and show my value. I used my position to advocate for diversity and inclusion, and I networked strategically to help bring those behind me together. Most importantly, I focused on continuous learning and stayed authentic. It’s also important to reflect on your experiences and identify lessons learned that can help you and those who come behind you.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a Black Girl from Washington DC that has tried for the past 20 years or so to take over the world by myself. I’ve got 5 Masters degrees, am currently working on a doctorate, and a bunch of certifications. I started off my career believing that I could out certify, out educate the competition. What i’ve learned over the years is that while world domination is a worthy cause, its not something that one should take on by themselves. It’s important to have a community of mentors, sponsors, allies, and people who are going that way. I’ve worked in the government and private consulting fields for over 20 years in devsecops, QA, testing, audit, system administration, and penetration testing/security consulting.

I’m the director and founder of BlackGirlsHack (BGH Foundation). We’re a nonprofit that was created 5 years ago to help increase diversity in cybersecurity. BGH is open to all and is a place where people can learn to hack and grow in cybersecurity. We’ve got programs for Red Team, Blue Team, Cloud, AI , GRC, DFIR, and study groups for common exams like Security plus, Network plus, CISSP, eJPT and PNPT. Since our inception, we’ve grown to a group of over 2000 cybersecurity practicitioners worldwide. We have programs for adults 18+ and 9th-12th grade students. We also have an annual cybersecurity conference called SquadCon to help increase visibility for underrepresented researchers, hackers, makers and breakers. In addition to my nonprofit I am also the CEO of BGH Security, a for profit company that hires members of the BGH Foundation nonprofit to help them to get (paid) hands on work experience in the field. We’ve employed up to 25 people over the last few years and helped them get valuable work experience and new tax brackets. We help increase representation in technology and cybersecurity and partner with major training companies to help provide free and reduced cost training for people trying to upskill and reskill in the industry.

I am an award winning penetration tester, best-selling author of Securing Our Future: Embracing the Brilliance and Resilience of Black Women in Cybersecurity, wife, hacker, and Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity Education and Security researcher.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the three most impactful areas of my journey are an insatiable quest for more information and knowledge, a drive to make a difference, and networking and relationship building. If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have only provided the continuous learning response because I didn’t understand the importance of making a difference and the impact that networking and relationship building adds to that. I’d advise the people coming behind me to find your squad. Join nonprofits whose values and mission align with what you’re trying to do. Identify mentors, sponsors, and friends who can help you reach your destination. Operating in a silo makes it more difficult for you to be able to achieve your goals, and it’s important to have community and support as you face the difficulties associated with either transitioning or entering into a new field.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I think the biggest challenge we are facing is fundraising and raising money to help continue the work we are doing. Over the past 5 years we’ve helped 1000s of people get skills in cybersecurity and help train them for new careers in cybersecurity. There are very high barriers to entry that are in technology and cybersecurity fields as well as a lack of cohesiveness between what is taught in schools and what is required for employment. BGH helps to bridge that gap by teaching hands on skills and helping them to get certifications to help demonstrate their subject area mastery. I think the reason we are facing issues is due to a nation wide attack on DEI which has had downstream impacts on nonprofits interfacing with the historical beneficiaries of DEI programs. We are working with other nonprofits to help increase visibility into the work that we are doing, and the value that it adds to help equipping future cybersecurity practitioners and technologists of the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tennisha.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlshack and /mrstennisha
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackgirlshack
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tennisha and https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackgirlshack
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/blackgirlshack and /misstennisha
• Other: youtube.com/blackgirlshack
  https://cyberthingspodcast.com/
  https://www.ai-thoughts.online
  https://blkwicc.com/