Rising Star: Kaitlin I. Bulavinetz

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Kaitlin Bulavinetz, like everyone at the small nonprofit Washington Cyber Roundtable, is a volunteer. According to colleagues, she always finds ways to pour her heart and soul into the work.

Executive Director Barbara George calls her “the backbone of the organization.” Bulavinetz serves as a logistics maven for seven to eight high-profile roundtable events per year, identifying speakers and handling all aspects of meeting preparation. She also works directly with members, manages the organization’s financials and acts as the marketing and social media lead.

George said Bulavinetz has helped shape meaningful dialogue about cybersecurity issues such as election security, information warfare, data management, 5G, the internet of things and artificial intelligence. She is also credited with helping to create smaller, intimate events where speakers and attendees can collaborate on ideas in a more casual setting.

“I usually tell folks that Kailtlin is either cheerful or asleep,” George said. “She’s always in the background and listening.... She’s always trying to figure out how she can improve what the WCR is doing.”

Her work for the organization is not the only thing on her plate. Bulavinetz is also a vice president of the Northern Virginia chapter of Young AFCEANs and is set to serve as the group’s president next year. In addition, she helped the Small Business Development Consortium increase its revenue-generating opportunities and completed a master’s degree while holding a full-time job in the private sector.