App State Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars aim to boost Western NC cybersecurity, trades workforce

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BOONE, N.C. — Two Appalachian State University projects designed to strengthen Western North Carolina’s building trades workforce and cyber defenses have been selected to receive funding support through the university’s 2026 Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program. The faculty-led initiatives will give App State students hands-on experience protecting small businesses from cyberattacks and the opportunity to explore career options in the trades.

“Our Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars are turning campus expertise into solutions that will help strengthen our communities and build a stronger, more secure future for our region.”
App State Chancellor Heather Norris

The projects:

The Western North Carolina Cyber Resilience Initiative is a Hickory-based cybersecurity clinic aimed at improving cybersecurity readiness for small businesses while supporting underserved areas. Led by Christopher W. Taylor ’09 ’11, practitioner-in-residence in the Department of Computer Information Systems in App State’s Walker College of Business, the initiative will receive $24,815 in Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program funding over the next three years. Taylor was recently honored with the Hickory Innovation Award for his work advancing cybersecurity at App State.
The Trades Pathways Initiative, supported by a $25,000 Chancellor’s Innovation grant and led by App State associate professor Dr. Andrew Windham, will help bolster workforce development in partnership with myFutureNC, with a focus on field experience pathways in the skilled building trades. A nonprofit organization, myFutureNC is spearheading efforts to achieve the statewide goal of having 2 million North Carolinians aged 25–44 hold a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030. The project team includes Dr. Jamie Russell, director of the Appalachian Energy Center; Dr. James Beeler, executive director of the Office of Rural Promise; and Jason Miller, associate dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

“These projects exemplify App State’s commitment to driving economic growth and resilience across Western North Carolina,” said App State Chancellor Heather Norris. “By addressing critical gaps in cybersecurity for our small businesses and pioneering new pathways in the skilled building trades, our Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars are turning campus expertise into solutions that will help strengthen our communities and build a stronger, more secure future for our region.”
Since 2016, the Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program has supported App State research, innovation, partnerships and practice that have a beneficial impact on society. The program emphasizes student engagement, community and industry partnerships, enduring impact and interdisciplinary collaboration.

“Computer information systems and cybersecurity students in a business-focused program are trained to bridge technical security insights with organizational decision-making — exactly the capability regional businesses need.”
Christopher W. Taylor ’09 ’11, practitioner-in-residence in App State’s Walker College of Business

Pictured in the cybersecurity lab at App State’s Hickory campus, Christopher W. Taylor ’09 ’11, practitioner-in-residence in App State’s Walker College of Business, is leading a Hickory-based cybersecurity clinic that draws on App State student expertise to improve cybersecurity readiness for the region’s small businesses. The three-year Western North Carolina Cyber Resilience Initiative is supported by funding awarded through the Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program. Photo by Chase Reynolds

“For the region’s workforce and economy, the Trade Pathways Initiative shifts the outlook on resilience and affordability by addressing the shortage of skilled tradespeople.”
Dr. Andrew Windham, associate professor in App State’s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment

Strengthening business through cybersecurity
Global research shows that cyberattacks disproportionately target small and medium-sized businesses — and cause many to close. The Western North Carolina Cyber Resilience Initiative tackles this problem by drawing on undergraduate student expertise from the Walker College of Business and its computer information systems and cybersecurity programs. Under the initiative, students provide businesses with in-depth assessments and risk reports and offer the option of ongoing security monitoring.
“The program’s defining strength is its student profile,” Taylor said. “Computer information systems and cybersecurity students in a business-focused program are trained to bridge technical security insights with organizational decision-making — exactly the capability regional businesses need.”
Over the next three years, the initiative will complete security assessments for at least 20 businesses. Six to 10 students per semester will engage in four- to six-week security assessments, generating and documenting outcomes and methodology needed for the initiative to compete for federal funding, Taylor said. The initiative will also host regional educational workshops.

“Studies show that roughly 60% of small businesses close within six months of a breach,” Taylor said. “Rather than waiting for a crisis, this initiative helps Hickory-area companies identify and address vulnerabilities proactively — protecting their operations and their futures.”
According to Taylor, the initiative is unique due to its integration of three key assets: Walker College students who can translate technical findings into organizational risk language; alert triage augmented with artificial intelligence; and open-source security tools.
Externally, the program seeks to build enduring relationships with the Small Business and Technology Development Centers in Western North Carolina, economic development offices across Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties and area chambers of commerce.
“The collaborative architecture of this program is intentional and broad,” said Taylor. “These relationships form a regional cybersecurity resilience network designed to outlast the grant period.”
With grant support through the Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program, an App State team, in partnership with myFutureNC, is leading an initiative to bolster the building trades workforce pipeline across Western North Carolina. Pictured from left to right are team members Dr. Jamie Russell, director of the Appalachian Energy Center; Jason Miller, associate dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts; Dr. James Beeler, executive director of the Office of Rural Promise; and project leader Dr. Andrew Windham, associate professor in App State’s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Addressing a skilled trades workforce gap
Universities, community colleges and career and technical programs must collaborate to create predictable, stackable career pathways in the trades, said Windham, associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment. The Trades Pathways Initiative seeks to address the region’s workforce shortage in the trades.
He explained that the initiative will seek out partners in the community colleges of Mayland, Caldwell, Wilkes, Western Piedmont, Catawba Valley and McDowell to address this gap by repositioning skilled trades and work-based learning as smart, valued career pathways — not as alternatives to higher education but integrated components of it.
“By building cross-institutional relationships, generating new knowledge about regional needs and piloting innovative curricular structures, this project helps position App State as a regional convener and leader in workforce resilience,” said Windham.
The initiative’s first phase involves relationship-building, stakeholder sessions and needs mapping — all with a goal of creating a regional inventory of existing resources and gaps relating to the region’s trades education ecosystem. Windham’s project calls for a Mountaineer trades roundtable to bring App State students together to explore career pathways and other opportunities. A scholarly publication focused on needs in the skilled trades and field experience proposals and curriculum concept models are also planned deliverables.
“The project team is well positioned to reach these goals,” Windham said. “The collaboration between STBE, the Appalachian Energy Center, the Office of Rural Promise and myFutureNC leverages disciplinary breadth, regional credibility and existing community relationships. For the region’s workforce and economy, the initiative shifts the outlook on resilience and affordability by addressing the shortage of skilled tradespeople.”
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May 28, 2026Chris Taylor ’09 ’11, a senior lecturer in Appalachian State University’s Department of Computer Information Systems (CIS), has earned the university’s inaugural Hickory Innovation Award in recognition of exceptional advocacy and leadership in the development and implementation of the cybersecurity program and lab.
About the College of Fine and Applied ArtsAppalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https://cfaa.appstate.edu.
About the Walker College of BusinessThe Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University delivers transformational educational experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact their communities, both locally and globally. The college places emphasis on international experiences, sustainable business practices, entrepreneurial programs and real-world applications with industry. Enrolling nearly 5,000 students, including more than 4,500 undergraduates across 11 majors, the Walker College of Business has the highest full-time undergraduate enrollment in the University of North Carolina System. App State’s Walker College is accredited by AACSB International — the premier global accrediting body for business schools. Learn more at https://business.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State UniversityAs a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.