Atlanta, Georgia , Sept. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Savvy Cyber Kids, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, appointed new members to the Board of Directors as of September, 1, 2025 and announced the launch of the Cyberhero Awards.
Announcing the Cyberhero Awards – Honoring Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and College Students!
Joining the Board of Directors for Savvy Cyber Kids are Dr. Ashley J. Raduege Broer, Josh Peltz, and Ty Spano.
Savvy Cyber Kids enables youth, families and school communities empowerment through technology by providing age-appropriate cyber safety, cyber ethics and digital parenting resources and education starting at three years old.
“I am truly honored to join the Savvy Cyber Kids Board of Directors,” stated Dr. Ashley J. Raduege Broer. “As a parent and life-long educator, keeping children safe has always been at the heart of my work. Helping to build the knowledge and confidence to navigate the online world is a responsibility I take to heart. This mission speaks to both my professional values and my personal commitment to protecting and empowering every child.”
For more than 26 years, Dr. Broer has dedicated her career to helping young people learn, grow, and feel safe—both in the classroom and beyond. As a Director of Secondary Education, school principal and educational leader, Dr. Broer guided teams through big changes, built programs that support students’ emotional well-being, and partnered with families and communities to strengthen trust and belonging. Her work has always centered on ensuring that every student feels seen, supported, and prepared for the future.
Dr. Broer sees a powerful connection between that commitment and the mission of Savvy Cyber Kids, where teaching children how to protect themselves online is an essential extension of keeping them safe and helping them thrive.
“When I first met Ben, within five minutes, it was like a light bulb went off in a dark room: it’s time for all of us to realize that our children are at risk, and we have the ability to help,” said Josh Peltz. “As a father and cybersecurity leader, I’ve seen how quickly tech outpaces safety education. Most kids lack guidance online, and many adults, both parents and teachers, feel unequipped to help. Cybersecurity is no longer only about defending networks and data – it’s about protecting people, families, and communities from risks that evolve daily. Imagine a world where children are taught to be safe online from their earliest days, where security is not bolted on, but built in, that’s Savvy Cyber Kids. We bridge that gap, shaping our youth into digitally resilient citizens and inspiring them potentially to become tomorrow’s cybersecurity professionals.”And now as a Board member, I’m proud to amplify our message and help drive this essential mission forward.”
Josh Peltz is a successful cybersecurity executive with 20+ years of experience in emerging and disruptive technology solutions in cybersecurity, data and analytics and AI/ML. He’s held a decade of cybersecurity leadership positions at leaders such as Duo Security, Cisco, ArmorCode, and currently is the VP of the West for Zero Networks.
“The Savvy Cyber Kids mission resonates deeply with me in empowering the next generation to navigate technology with confidence, resilience, and safety,” said Ty Spano. “Cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting systems; it’s about protecting people, and ensuring that children grow up with the tools and awareness to thrive in a connected world.”
Ty Sbano is an Information Security leader with two decades of experience focused on enabling developers to move at the speed of the business. Ty is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Webflow. Ty’s career has been focused on developing application and product security programs for Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, LendingClub, and Target. More recently, Ty has focused on building security earlier into the start-up world in the bay area with Vercel, Periscope Data (acquired by Sisense) in the Bay Area. Outside of being a CISO, Ty is a board member of Silicon Valley CISO Investment Groups (SVCI) and on the advisory board of the Blackhat Innovators & Investors Summit. Ty graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Information Science & Technology and from Norwich University with a M.S. in Information Assurance.
“Our children are frontline warriors pitted against threats delivered by today’s latest technology they can’t even comprehend,” states Ben Halpert, Founder, Savvy Cyber Kids. “Parents and schools unwittingly place the children they are responsible for up against harms they are not equipped to triumph over in their daily battles, both physically and mentally.”
Making meaningful, long term, generational change for the world’s most vulnerable population which is young children, takes dedication. “In today’s reality of youth sextortion related suicide, AI suicide encouragement, 24/7 cyberbullying, and the realization of harms against our children delivered through technology, educating young children starting at age three is paramount,” said Ben Halpert.
“Most people want to believe quick fixes will work; when it comes to shaping human behaviors to build individual resilience, that is not the case. Our dedicated team looks forward to expanding our reach for the benefit of the world’s children,” said Ben Halpert.
Announcing the Cyberhero Awards!
The Savvy Cyber Kids Cyberhero Awards is our new annual fundraiser to bring together the cybersecurity community in support of educating and empowering today’s youth to make appropriate decisions as they grow up online. The Cyberhero Awards are an opportunity to connect with others and recognize those children in various age groups (elementary school, middle school, high school, and college) that exemplify what it means to be a Cyberhero in their community, in both the physical and virtual worlds. Nominate a student today! https://savvycyberkids.org/support/cyberhero-awards/
Learn more about the Board of Directors and their passion for educating and empowering today’s youth at https://savvycyberkids.org/about/board-of-directors/
Savvy Cyber Kids is grateful for the ongoing support of its sponsors: Optiv, CISO Horizon, C-Vision International, VIPRE Security Group, PWC US, Yass Partners, Jodi Fink Halpert Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, Vercel, SecurityScorecard, 909IC, Camellia Tax Advisors, and Squared Circle Ventures.
About Savvy Cyber Kids
Savvy Cyber Kids (SCK), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable youth, families, and school communities to be empowered by technology, recognizes that children may be Digital Natives but are also “Digital Naives”, who, without intervention, completely lack understanding of the implications of their digital actions. Founded in 2007 by noted speaker and author Ben Halpert, Savvy Cyber Kids resources are used in 50 states and 54 countries around the world to help parents and teachers educate today’s youth on cyber safety and cyber ethics topics of cyberbullying, digital reputation, technology and screen-time balance, mental health, body and self-image, physical safety, sexting, privacy, gaming, child sexual predators, and more starting at 3 years old.
Press inquiries
Savvy Cyber Kids
https://savvycyberkids.org/
Ben Halpert
[email protected]
