Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and city officials joined with Congressman Richard E. Neal, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) STCC President John B. Cook, MassTech CEO Carolyn Kirk, and CyberTrust Massachusetts CEO Peter Sherlock, along with leaders, dignitaries and community and industry partners on Monday for the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony for The Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Union Station.
The Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, or Neal Cybersecurity Center, is named in honor of U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal for his commitment to leading-edge cybersecurity education and the betterment of Springfield Union Station. The Neal Cybersecurity Center, located inside Springfield’s Union Station, is one of two such facilities in Massachusetts currently open and running, and is set to become a cornerstone for training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence will serve as a regional center for Western Massachusetts and beyond, with programming that will also include information seminars and min-conferences, as well as in-service training and simulation for current cyber professionals.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno states, “First, I want to thank STCC President John Cook, MassTech CEO Carolyn Kirk, CyberTrust Massachusetts CEO Peter Sherlock, my Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan, Springfield Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Amanda Pham, SRA Board Chair Armando Feliciano, Senior Project Manager My-Ron Hatchett, and all of our community stakeholders for their efforts in establishing this much-needed economic development project that will help create more of that good four-letter word, Jobs, while also closing the talent gap in this growing sector.”
“Once a mayor always the heart of a mayor. Congressman Richard Neal continues to provide exemplary leadership on behalf of our city of Springfield and Union Station – the house that Neal built,” Mayor Sarno continued. “This transformative and dynamic Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing education and innovation in the field of cybersecurity. My administration is proud to have supported this endeavor thanks to $500,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which Congressman Neal also helped to secure direct funding for our communities. I cannot think of a more deserving honor than dedicating the Cybersecurity Center to our Congressman ‘Richie’ Neal. Congressman Neal, you continue to build upon your tremendous legacy and on behalf of the city of Springfield we thank you for your continued leadership and advocacy on the federal level.”
Congressman Neal said, “It is a great honor to participate in the grand opening of the Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center. I would like to thank the consortium of local higher education institutions that brought this project to fruition, including Bay Path University, Elms College, Springfield Technical Community College, and Western New England University, as well as our partners in the Springfield Redevelopment Authority and CyberTrust Massachusetts.
“I’ve committed much of my career in public life to saving this building, securing tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to refurbish what is a pillar in Springfield’s downtown,” Neal said. “Now, 51 years after Union Station closed its doors, I am grateful to have a small piece of this building named in my honor – an honor that I never sought. Today is a great day for the City of Springfield, as we celebrate not only the opening of a Cybersecurity Center that will have a tremendous impact on our students and the regional economy, but also a milestone for this historic building: reaching 100 percent occupancy of the station’s main concourse level.”
