Board Members

Duvelza Saenz is a graduate of the University of The Incarnate Word and has more than 17 years of experience serving in the National Security Intelligence community as an Intelligence professional primarily focused on Computer Network Operations (CNO). Duvelza is currently the Data Analytics and Capabilities Team Lead managing several Department of Defense (DOD) projects. She is responsible for leading teams of Data Scientists, DevOps Engineers and Cyber Threat Hunters in creating, integrating and deploying AI technologies for real world cyber operations as part of the Department of Defense Data Strategy.

Outside of work, Duvelza devotes her time, energy, and attention to several volunteer causes with a focus on empowering women in STEM. She is the founder and CEO of G.R.I.T. (Girl Refugees In Tech Training), a nonprofit organization, and is also a leading member of the San Antonio-based meet up group for Women in Cyber Security (WiC) and Tech (Note: this is an external group separate from Booz Allen's Women in Cyber community). She is also a member of Booz Allen's Global Multicultural Business Resource Group (BRG), an active Girl Scout Troop Leader for the Girl Scouts Southwest Texas Region supporting STEM for Girls, and a fundraising consultant for The Sanctuary of Hope, which offers help to single expecting mothers.

Joan serves as the Graduate Studies Coordinator at the Dreeben School of Education.  She teaches Law and Ethics in Cyber Security, Risk Management and Policy in Cybersecurity,  Law in Higher Education, Legal Issues in Student Affairs, and Texas School Law. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law and a Master of Jurisprudence in Education with a certificate in Cyber Law and Data Security and Compliance, Business Law & Risk. She is also an alumnus of Incarnate Word High School.

She serves as the administrative advisor for the UIW Compassion Student Peer Organization (CSPO) and liaison to the ESC Region 20 Cohort Leadership Associates (CoLA) program. She is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and serves on the Review Board for the NASPA Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education. Dr. Labay-Marquez is a member of Women in Cyber Security (WiCyS) and participates in the mentor/mentee program. She is also a member of UIW’s WiCyS student organization and directs the Young Women’s Global Leadership Program.

Deepti is a cloud security architect at Goldman Sachs. She was a faculty in the Department of Computer Science at Huston-Tillotson University, Austin. She received her Ph.D. degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). She received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from India, the M.Tech. degree in Computer Engineering from India, and the M.S. degree in Computer Science from UTSA. She has worked as an Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Computer Science at St. Edward University, Austin.

Her primary area of research includes security and privacy in cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), anomaly detection models, access control models, game theory, deep learning, and federated learning-assisted security solutions. Her research works involve various IoT domains, such as Smart Home, Smart Health, and Wearable IoT. She has served as a reviewer and committee member in various conferences.

She is a team member of IEEE ComSoc Young Professionals, AnitaB.org, WiCyS, and also co-chair of the N2Women fellowship. She is actively involved in these organizations to enhance diversity and inclusion in STEM. She is an active member of IEEE and ACM and presented her research works at numerous conferences.

Geeta is currently working as a faculty in Cyber Defense Department at Northeast Lakeview College. She has done her Master's in computer information systems with a cybersecurity concentration from Boston University,  Prior to that She did her Bachelor's in Engineering from the Institute of Electronics & Communication Engineers, New Delhi, India. She is SAN's Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) & Cisco -certified Senior Network Security Engineer.

She has around 20 years of experience in designing and implementing network infrastructure & security in one of the largest ISP (National Informatics Centre, Delhi, India).  She was working in NIC as Deputy Director and posted in HQS in the core Networking & Communication Group. She has been associated with multiple PAN India National level Projects.  She is one of our founding members of the San Antonio Affiliate.
Geeta enjoys learning new skills. Her passion is to participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives to encourage more women to explore careers in tech.  Geeta loves listening to Bollywood music, hiking,  traveling with her family, and exploring different cultures,  particularly food.

Vanessa is currently chair of the Computer Information Systems and Security department at Our Lady of the Lake University. She was raised in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico so Spanish is her first language. She is a patriot and loves all things Mexican: clothing, culture, art, food, beaches, soccer (among many others). She received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with two majors: Management Information Systems and Accounting. She has a Master’s in Professional Accountancy and a Ph.D. in the Management Information Systems concentration of the International Business Administration program. She has worked in industry for many years and has vast experience working in CPA firms. 

Learning, teaching, data and research are all very important to her. She teaches a variety of courses including Database, Systems Analysis & Design, Accounting Information Systems and analytics. She loves languages and has studied Portuguese, French, and American Sign Language, and has a passion for culture, travel, art, and food.

Areej has a  Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research includes network security, machine learning, and visualization. She teaches courses in cyber security and programming. She is passionate about empowering women to pursue careers in computing in general and in cybersecurity in particular. In her free time she enjoys drawing and listening to audio books.

Areej is one of our founding members and someone who worked tirelessly to bring a WiCyS affiliate to San Antonio. She has been passionate about providing opportunities to women in the field both through her career as university professor and  her role in WiCyS San Antonio affiliate.