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).

Nyikos, a technical fellow for Boeing Commercial Airplane (BCA) Product Security Engineering (PSE) and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, works with a wide range of organizations on transitioning to and complying with evolving domestic and international cybersecurity regulations. 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.”

Nyikos 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.

Reynolds, the managing director of cybersecurity for Airlines for America (A4A), was recognized with an ACE Award for his executive leadership.

“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."

Reynolds has more than 30 years of experience in cybersecurity and civil and military aviation. He 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.

The 2026 Aviation and Aerospace Cyber Resilience Symposium, which was held over two days in February, 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.”