Two Aviation Cybersecurity Leaders Honored at Embry-Riddle Symposium

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has honored Siobvan Nyikos and Marty Reynolds for their achievements in strengthening cyber resilience in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Nyikos and Reynolds were each recognized with an Aerospace Cybersecurity Excellence Leadership Award, or ACE Award, at the 2026 Aviation and Aerospace Cyber Resilience Symposium at Embry-Riddle, an event that brings together cybersecurity experts in academia, industry and government. The annual symposium and the awards are organized by the university’s Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS).

Dan Diessner, executive director of the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems, presented the awards to Nyikos and Reynolds at a Feb. 3 ceremony.

When presenting the award to Nyikos, a technical fellow for Boeing Commercial Airplane (BCA) Product Security Engineering (PSE) and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Diessner thanked her for “years of technical aircraft cybersecurity leadership, including driving the national and international standards that keep our aircraft both safe and secure.” 

Nyikos, who collaborates with a wide range of organizations to transition to and comply with evolving domestic and international cybersecurity regulations, has worked for Boeing Commercial Airplane Product Security Engineering lifecycle teams, supporting all of Boeing’s commercial airplane models, as well as Boeing Defense, Space & Security programs.

She is also a co-chair for the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee SC-216 for Aeronautical Information Systems Security, co-chair for the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aviation Cybersecurity Aviation Rulemaking Committee, an industry advisor for the Aviation Cybersecurity Initiative working group for standards coordination and the chair of the Aerospace Industries Association Regulatory & Standards Working Group.

She is a recipient of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) 2016 Emerging Leader Award and SWE’s 2020 Patent Recognition Award. She is also a recipient of the RTCA Significant Contributor Award and the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment Harmonization Award for her work on the development and harmonization of industry standards for airworthiness security.

The ACE Award recognized her technical leadership.

“This is truly an honor,” Nyikos said. “I would like to thank the selection committee, made up of previous winners as well as my aviation cybersecurity colleagues and friends. I am fortunate to work with the best and brightest on challenging problems in this evolving space.”

Diessner presented Reynolds, the managing director of cybersecurity for Airlines for America (A4A), with an ACE Award recognizing his executive leadership, including his more than 30 years of experience in cybersecurity and civil and military aviation. He described Reynolds as "a strong cybersecurity leader." 

Dan Diessner, executive director of the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems, presented Nyikos and Reynolds with their ACE awards. The awards were named after the term “Flying Ace,” coined during World War I to refer to pilots who helped win the war through their skill at downing enemy aircraft. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/David Massey)

Reynolds advances A4A membership interests by developing policies and standards and advocating for consensus policy positions on aviation cybersecurity issues with Congress, federal regulators and other national and international policymakers.

Reynolds is a cybersecurity and emerging technologies policy expert and lead for the A4A Cybersecurity Council. He is a member of numerous private and public working groups and coordinating councils. He is also a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the Private Directors Association, Digital Directors Network and the Council on Foreign Relations.

“I want to thank the selection committee and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the recognition,” Reynolds said. “Cybersecurity is a team sport, so I feel that I am accepting this award on behalf of the broader aviation cybersecurity community. The honor is being part of this larger, amazing team."

Diessner concluded the presentation by honoring both recipients, saying that he has enjoyed working with them over the years "in keeping our global aviation ecosystem cyber-secure and cyber-resilient." 

The 2026 Aviation and Aerospace Cyber Resilience Symposium, which was held over two days, served as a confidential forum where cybersecurity leaders from academia, government and industry worked together to identify emerging challenges, share best practices and create solutions.

In a welcome letter to the symposium, Embry‑Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., said the event “has never been more relevant or crucial,” noting the range of cybersecurity challenges facing aviation and aerospace systems.

“At a time when cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and numerous, our presence in space is also expanding,” he added, “necessitating new cyber resilience strategies and greater collaboration industry-wide.”