Dr. Lynn P. Costantini Testimonial

Dr. Lynn P. Costantini

Deputy Director, Center for Partnership and Innovation
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners

Dr. Costantini, an information technology professional with more than 30 years of experience in the electric utility sector, decided to pursue her doctorate at NJCU because the "DSc program offers the depth, breath and vision" she viewed as necessary to achieving her career goals.

"I was particularly drawn to the program's scholar-practitioner focus, which clearly demonstrates the University's appreciation for the value of field experience, as well as its commitment to the practical application of academic training," she said. "This is critical to ensuring that future practitioners are not constrained by traditional thinking. Instead, that they are capable of synthesizing information and formulating new strategies, tactics, and methods necessary to address security challenges of tomorrow."

Currently Deputy Director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' Center for Partnership and Innovation, Dr. Costantinihas held executive level positions including Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), where she helped launch the Electricity Sector ISAC.

As a subject matter expert on cyber security, Dr. Costantini has written federal and state regulations that are intended to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks and has testified before Congress regarding electric utilities' cyber disaster preparedness. While at NERC, she helped write the first two versions of the CIP standards. As the cyber security specialist at the NJ Board of Public Utilities, she focused on building and sustaining effective partnerships with government and private sector stakeholders to foster cyber security information sharing; to identify and mitigate cross-sector cyber dependencies; and, to spur innovative solutions to persistent security problems.

In addition to her doctorate, Dr. Costantini holds an MBA from Rider University, and a BA in Economics from Seton Hall University. Her doctoral research focused on ways to improve partnership outcomes between government and private sectors in critical infrastructure industries, a topic that informed her post-degree career path. Current research interests focus on the underrepresentation of women in the cyber workforce. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential holder since 2008, Dr. Costantini is also an ISC2-certified instructor.