Faculty Spotlight: Jonathan Sams
Posted on: April 3, 2024
‘Cybersecurity is a very dark field,” said Jonathan Sams, an adjunct professor in North Greenville University’s Cybersecurity program and a Managed Defense Consultant for Mandiant, a subsidiary of Google.
“There are not many Christians in the profession, and they don’t talk about it if they are,” he said.
Sams has been working in cybersecurity for more than five years. He began his career conducting instant response and threat detection for a Fortune 500 company.
“We were like the SWAT team for cybersecurity,” he said. “If anything goes wrong in a company, we were the team that responded to gather the information on what happened, determine if the threat was neutralized, and proceed with remediation efforts.”
Sams has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Security and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from Kennesaw State University. He also holds a Master of Arts in Ministry Service from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is pursuing a PhD in Applied Theology from Midwestern.
“Security was always something I really enjoyed doing,” he said. “It wasn’t just a way to make money for me. I looked around and saw many of my friends going into ministry as their calling. Cybersecurity was a field that I could go into to share the gospel and make money to support my friends in ministry.”
“I consider myself co-vocational,” Sams said. “That’s just a fancy way of saying I don’t get paid for the work I do for the church. I really enjoy serving our church. Because of that, I always saw security as my mission field. I wanted to be able to support my friends in ministry and reach an area that wasn’t being reached.”
In addition to his other roles Sams also chairs the credentials committee for the Southern Baptist Convention.
Sams said he is passionate about preparing the next generation to enter the field and wants to help his students make beneficial connections through the program.
“I appreciate Dr. (Nigel) Basta’s focus on pairing the degree with certifications. Those are a big deal in cybersecurity,” Sams said.
“During my undergrad, I had professors that helped me find internships, helped me network, helped me navigate interviews and build a resume. That’s one thing I’m passionate about in my classes. I want to help people find what they’re meant to do and called to do. Sure, you’re teaching the content. But, you also want to find ways to set them up for success.”
As cybersecurity issues remains in the headlines, Sams encourages people to be cautious when using the internet.
“Slowly, people are realizing that security and privacy are linked,” he said. “You can control, to a certain extent, the information you put out there. I don’t know that the average person needs to know cybersecurity’s intricacies, but you probably should understand what information websites are taking from you.”
Visit go.ngu.edu/cybersecurity to learn more about the opportunities available in North Greenville University’s fully online cybersecurity program.
