Ruthe Farmer is the Founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund, which has raised over $40 million in support of more than 9,000 low-income tech and engineering students – 70% of whom are interested in pursuing cybersecurity careers. Her two-decades of cyber advocacy span landmark roles: Senior Policy Advisor for Tech Inclusion in the Obama White House, Chief Evangelist for CSforALL, and leadership positions at the National Center for Women & IT.
Farmer’s policy influence has secured language in the Defense Authorization Act establishing Department of Defense grants for cybersecurity education across 3,400 Junior ROTC high schools, reaching over 4.5 million students. Her far-reaching impact includes founding advisory roles for Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), advising SANS Institute founder Alan Paller on Girls Go CyberStart, and securing $6 million for Girl Scouts’ cybersecurity badge programs. Recognized with numerous honors including the “Global Female Leadership Impact Award”, “Anthem Award”, and “DotOrg Impact Award”, she continues advancing tech inclusion through speaking engagements worldwide – including the UN, European Parliament, White House, Oxford University, and the Federal Reserve.
