#CyberChats Podcast Season 4: Hondo Owls in the Cyber Sky: Coaching, Competing, and Connecting in a Hyper-Connected World
Frederick Hall
Director of New Coaches and Technical Mentors, CyberTexas Foundation Cybersecurity Educator | Mentor | Network Engineer | U.S. Army Veteran Fredrick Hall, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, is a seasoned cybersecurity professional and passionate educator whose journey in Information Technology (IT) began with his enlistment in the United States Army. As an Information Systems Operator, Fredrick developed a solid technical foundation that led to a diverse career encompassing roles such as help desk technician, systems administrator, firewall engineer, Exchange administrator, and enterprise-level domain administrator.
His military service afforded him global experience, with assignments in the United Kingdom, NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, the U.S. Army War College, Fort Sam Houston in Texas, and South Korea. Following his transition to civilian life, Fredrick continued his mission in cyberspace as a Network Defense Operator and enterprise administrator. He currently serves as a network engineer, specializing in securing and maintaining enterprise networks.
Beyond his professional duties, Fredrick is a dedicated cybersecurity education advocate. He volunteers his time and expertise as a CyberPatriot coach for Medina Valley High School and the Hondo Cyber Owls team at the Hondo Public Library. He also serves as the technical mentor for the Alamo Academies Information Technology & Security Academy (ITSA) CyberPatriot team and has mentored teams through BrownSTEM, INC., including an all-girls team at Davis Middle School. He teaches the CyberGenerations cyber safety curriculum for senior citizens, continuing his commitment to cyber awareness across all age groups.
In 2022, Fredrick joined the CyberTexas Foundation as the Director of New Coaches and Technical Mentors, where he leads the training and support of coaches, mentors, and student teams involved in the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. He also spearheads cyber education camps, coach training initiatives, and cybersecurity outreach efforts throughout Texas.
Fredrick has organized and led numerous CyberPatriot summer camps at locations such as the Castroville Public Library, San Antonio ISD’s LOTC program, and St. Philip’s College GenCyber camp. He played a pivotal role as lead instructor for the SA Cyber 4 Uvalde initiative, bringing together key partners from the Department of Defense, UTSA's Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), AFCEA, and industry leaders to provide cybersecurity education to elementary and middle school students in Uvalde, Texas.
He has been an active member of the Texas Computer Science Task Force, the Texas Education Agency’s Information Technology Advisory Council, and the WeTeach_CS program through The University of Texas at Austin. Recognized for his outstanding contributions, Fredrick was named Cyber Education Leader for Texas District 23 by U.S. Representative Will Hurd in 2018. In October 2021, he became only the fifth person to be coined by U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales for his exceptional work in rural cyber education and CyberPatriot team development.
Fredrick is also a Boy Scouts of America merit badge counselor, focusing on Digital Technology and Cyber Safety, and regularly appears as a guest speaker at cybersecurity conferences, webinars, and podcasts. His passion for inspiring youth led him to appear as a character in a STEM/STEAM-themed middle school book released in 2019, aimed at encouraging girls to explore careers in cybersecurity.
In 2023, Fredrick expanded his outreach by becoming a mentor for the DoD STARBASE Program, working with students at STARBASE Kelly in San Antonio and Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, where he continues to inspire and shape the next generation of cyber professionals.
With a career marked by service, leadership, and impact, Fredrick Hall remains steadfast in his mission to “Cyber Like a Viking!”—empowering communities, guiding future cybersecurity leaders, and strengthening our national cyber resilience through education and mentorship.
