First Gen, First in Cyber

Ervin Daniels, ’94, sets the standard as a first-gen graduate and cybersecurity expert

With First-Generation College Celebration Day on Nov. 8, Ervin Daniels, ’94, serves as an example of how first-generation students can build powerful firewalls of perseverance to reach their dreams. Daniels has achieved considerable success as a first-generation college graduate and now a cybersecurity architect in a relatively new and competitive field.

Throughout his childhood, his parents made it clear that he needed to do well in school. “They preached education, education, education,” said Daniels, a Louisville native. “It wasn’t just a saying—it was a mindset that shaped my upbringing. I knew college was my destination after high school.”

Daniels’ mother, a healthcare worker, had attended community college, and his father worked in a blue-collar trade. Though neither completed a college degree, they were convinced higher education was the surest way to a better life. “They made countless sacrifices to ensure I had the chance to go further than they did,” he said.

Those sacrifices have paid off as Daniels continues to adapt to his constantly evolving and trailblazing career in cybersecurity. Currently, he works for IBM in Atlanta, and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) has played its part in Daniels’ success.

Being a first-generation college student, Daniels had no road map of how to pick a college or a major, but things had a way of working out for him.

“You might say EKU chose me,” he said. “Eastern was one of the first colleges to accept me. I knew they had great academics, a beautiful campus, and it was away from home, but not too far away.”

Arriving on campus in the early 90s with an undecided major, Daniels first enrolled in the College of Business to pursue business-related computer science. He later changed to loss prevention, where Dr. Norman Spain became a mentor and one of his favorite professors. As it happened, Daniels’ EKU background in both business systems and in loss prevention and safety “laid the groundwork for my future career.” 

While many of his classes were technology-oriented, one public safety course stands out in Daniels’ memory because it demonstrated the importance of security to people’s lives.

“That course opened my eyes to the human dimension to our work,” he said. “And at the end of the day, protecting people is what it’s all about.”

The internet was just starting to boom then and Daniels, who was savvy in math and science and enjoyed solving technical problems, had a feeling he would someday be involved in that industry.

After graduating with bachelor’s degrees in security and loss prevention and computer information security, Daniels moved to Atlanta, earning a master of business administration degree in 2006. Since moving to Atlanta, Daniels has held IT (information technology) positions with Georgia Pacific, then the Atlanta Public School System and Equifax Inc.

It was while providing IT infrastructure support for Georgia Pacific in 2003, that Daniels said he “fell in love with working on security projects. I decided at that point to really pursue a career in cybersecurity.”

And, he has. 

Now, as a cybersecurity architect with IBM since 2016, Daniels said, “I help the largest financial institutions safeguard their sensitive data. My work protects against business disruptions, technical disasters, system outages and cyberattacks.”

He also runs ervindaniels.com, a cybersecurity blog where he breaks down today’s most pressing security challenges—from protecting laptops when traveling to navigating emerging threats like Shadow AI, which he explains as “the unauthorized use of AI tools and machine learning models within an organization.” Through his website, Daniels offers real-world, actionable advice and his “Defense in Depth” cybersecurity strategy.

“I want to empower others by sharing some of my insights on cybersecurity with the wider public,” he said.

Throughout his career, Daniels hasn’t forgotten how much he benefited from his time at EKU. To show his appreciation and stay connected to his alma mater, Daniels serves on the board of the EKU International Alumni Association and as chair of the association’s Student Success and Scholarship Committee.

In addition, Daniels credits EKU for teaching him to be a communicator and problem solver, as well as to be resilient and a lifelong learner. Those characteristics, Daniels says, are vital in the constantly changing industry of computer security.

EKU now offers a bachelor’s degree in cyber systems technology, preparing graduates to protect systems and networks from increasing threats. 

Committed to first-generation student success, EKU is designated a First-Gen Forward Institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success. For the past three years, EKU has welcomed more than 50% first-generation students as part of its incoming freshman class. 

By Mason Smith