MSSM Powers Bender To SECDEF/STRATCOM Job

MSSM Powers Bender To SECDEF/STRATCOM Job

By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager

Helping out with homework can be a challenging part of any parent’s responsibilities. What do you call it when you have your own homework on top of that? A bonding experience says Jeremy Bender, a 2010 graduate of the Master of Science in Security Management (MSSM) program at Bellevue University.

“I work full time and was a single father at the time I took the course. On Friday nights after my son's high school football/basketball game I would shut my phone off and hammer out as much homework as I could from Friday to Sunday,” Bender said. “I would spend a good 10-24hrs a week doing nothing but papers and presentations. It was actually pretty neat because at the time my son was a sophomore in high school so there were times we were doing homework at the same time.”

Bender has recently accepted a new position with McCallie Associates, Inc supporting the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and Joint Staff at the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).

“In laymen's terms, I am a Nuclear Command and Control (NC3) Cyber Security Liaison for the SECDEF and Joint Staff at USSTRATCOM,” Bender said. “My day-to-day operation is to track and verify that all mission critical assets are patched and updated to mitigate an adversary cyber-attack.”

Bender said his education at Bellevue University helped him earn his new position and excel on the job.

“I was very fortunate to have Greg Allen as a professor, the wealth of knowledge that he shared with me outside of the curriculum has given me the edge I needed to progress in my career field,” Bender said. “The MSSM program is packed with information and learning objectives that align so well with the career field I have chosen. It makes it easy to apply the information I learned to everyday work.”

In addition to his new position, Bender is paying his education forward by serving as an adjunct professor in the Security Management program.

“Being an adjunct professor allows me to stay abreast on all the current info that the program has to offer which I in turn use personally,” Bender said. “Additionally, I am so grateful to be able to teach other students and give back to Bellevue University. I cannot thank Professor Greg Allen enough for what I learned in the MSSM program and giving me the ability and chance to teach grad and undergrad Security Management program as well. He gets an A+ in my grade book.”