2026 Organizational Culture Award Recipient

Randy Marchany

Chief Information Security Officer, Virginia Tech (retired)

The 2026 EDUCAUSE Organizational Culture Award is presented to Randy Marchany, former Chief Information Security Officer at Virginia Tech, in recognition of his transformational leadership in building a culture of learning, mentorship, collaboration, and service.

Throughout his fifty-year career at Virginia Tech, Randy demonstrated that a strong organizational culture is created by investing in people. His leadership fostered an environment where learning, professional growth, and shared responsibility were embedded into daily practice. Beginning his career in 1975 as an IBM systems programmer, he built a distinguished career in cybersecurity leadership and workforce development. Through his roles as CISO and Director of the Virginia Tech IT Security Lab, he created a culture in which students and staff learned side by side while addressing security challenges.

Randy's culture-building leadership is exemplified by the following contributions:

• Created an innovative "teaching hospital" model for cybersecurity operations, integrating students into real-world security environments and providing hands-on experience that prepared graduates for leadership roles across government, industry, higher education, and the military.
• Established mentorship and professional development opportunities through the Virginia Tech IT Security Lab. A number of graduates who worked in the lab have gone on to become chief information security officers, senior security executives, military cyber commanders, and educators, many of whom credit Randy's mentorship as foundational to their success.
• Expanded access to cybersecurity education. Since 1999, he has taught one of the nation's first hands-on university cybersecurity courses and has reached more than 3,000 students.
• Established statewide partnerships through the Virginia Alliance for Secure Computing and Networking (VASCAN) and the Virginia Cyber Range, reinforcing shared responsibility for cybersecurity across higher education in Virginia.

Randy's impact extends beyond individual initiatives. He has fostered a lasting culture of experiential learning, mentorship, and shared responsibility that continues to strengthen Virginia Tech. Although retired from administrative leadership, he continues to teach graduate- and senior-level cybersecurity courses.

Beyond Virginia Tech, Randy has contributed to EDUCAUSE and the cybersecurity profession. Through in-person and online EDUCAUSE sessions spanning two decades, he has shared practical guidance on multifactor authentication, Zero Trust architectures, security governance, and workforce development. His work with the SANS Institute, the Center for Internet Security, and national initiatives has extended his commitment to developing others.

Colleagues describe Randy as a humble, collaborative leader committed to developing others. He creates environments where individuals feel supported, valued, and empowered to succeed.

Randy Marchany's leadership demonstrates the transformational impact on people, culture, and institutional engagement recognized by the EDUCAUSE Organizational Culture Award.