Karen H. Thurston, PhD

About

My experience spans several decades in the industry, followed by full-time teaching that began in 2017 at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I’ve mostly worked as a software developer, systems analyst, IV&V consultant (Independent Verification and Validation), technical project manager, software company president, and industry advisory board member for California State University, Sacramento College of Engineering and Computer Science, where I also taught briefly as an adjunct instructor.

My educational background includes lower-division engineering courses and a B.A in English literature from UC Davis, MS in computer science from California State University, Sacramento, and PhD in computer science from the University of Idaho, Coeur d’Alene (2021).

Academic Professional Experience
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2025-date: Eastern Washington University, Clinical Associate Faculty, Cybersecurity
2020-2025: Long Beach City College, Associate Professor, Computer Science
2017-2020: North Idaho College, Assistant Professor, Computer science
2014-2017: University of Idaho, Coeur d’Alene; Director, Cybersecurity Training & Operations Center/Technology Business Development

Professional Preparation
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Ph.D., University of Idaho, Coeur d’Alene; computer science,
M.S., California State University, Sacramento; computer science
A.B., University of California, Davis; English literature

Certifications
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(ISC)2 – Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP# 513864)
Project Management Institute – Project Management Professional (PMP# 1612960)