We recently connected with Jeree Spicer and have shared our conversation below.

Jeree , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At the age of 5 years old, I fell in love with computers and the law. Instead of barbies, I wanted a laptop so I could learn to type. Instead of watching Sesame Street, I wanted to watch Judge Judy. As I grew older, I knew that I desired a career in which she could combine my two passions: criminal justice and technology.

In a world where technology is rapidly evolving and society’s dependence on it is continually increasing, the growth of cybercrime poses a major threat. Security plays a key role and knowledge is the best line of defense. I aspire to advocate for and initiate change by using #ReeTheCyberBoss as a platform to promote awareness about cybersecurity and cybercrime. I want to empower the black and brown communities to establish and maintain a safer, more secure online presence.

Jeree , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jeree Spicer. I am from Detroit, Michigan. Recently relocated to Dallas, Texas. I am a Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Ally Financial. I am the creator of ReeTheCyberBoss, LLC. In October , my boyfriend and I welcomed our beautiful baby boy into the world. I’m a social butterfly, hard-working, a huge grey’s anatomy fan, and passionate about Cybersecurity.

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to make a difference and do something out of the ordinary. I went from wanting to be a lawyer to a infant mental health therapist to a FBI agent. I’ve been in love with technology since age 5.

I attended Central Michigan University and double majored in Criminal Justice and Child Development. Months after graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree, I attended Wayne State University to obtain a Master’s Degree in Social Work. 2 months after being in the program, I started to feel “postgrad depression” which to me felt like I didn’t belong and that I wasn’t sure this was the career for me. I was doing amazing in the program but I knew I had to withdraw from the program after I completed the Fall semester. I began researching how I can combine my love for law and technology and my aunt recommended to me that I should research Cybersecurity.

I had no idea what Cybersecurity was and if I was even smart enough to be in the field but of course I had no knowledge of it. After researching what Cybersecurity was, I knew I was supposed to be in this field. I applied to University of Detroit Mercy for their Cybersecurity Master’s Program and was accepted one week later. My first 3 months of the program were extremely hard and I thought I made a mistake but I started to fall in love with Cybersecurity and it was the best decision I made.

At the time of graduate school, I was working as a Toddler Lead Teacher at Childtime Learning Center. I had been working there for 2 years and I am a firm believer in upward mobility with my career. With that being said, I knew I wanted to further my career at our headquarters. Our President visited our school and I ended up having a conversation with him about my career goals. I let him know I was getting my Master’s degree in Cybersecurity and he let me know that our company was creating a Cybersecurity internship and he gave me his information and told me to contact him. He wanted to put me in contact with his Vice President of IT.

I contacted him 5 minutes later then I immediately received an email from the VP of IT. 2 months later, I applied for the internship and I was accepted. I was beyond excited and was able to move to our headquarters as a Cybersecurity intern. I spent 3 months as an intern then was hired in and gained an additional 3 months of experience. My primary duties was Cybersecurity awareness, vendor management, developing governed documents, and building the foundation of the Cybersecurity department. Learning Care Group gave me my start and I’m forever thankful. I was LCG from 2017-2019.

In January of 2019, I was hired at Ally Financial.
I started in Risk Management and worked in the infrastructure unit for 2 years. In 2021, I moved to the Cybersecurity department. I am apart of the Endpoint & Data Security Engineering where I focus on Data Loss Prevention Engineering. Ally has been amazing to me and empowering me and my career.

When I got into Cybersecurity, I realized that there is a stigma on what everyone thinks cybersecurity is. I knew I wanted to educate other’s on cybersecurity especially in the Black and Brown communities so I started ReeTheCyberBoss, LLC. The name comes from my name Jeree and my family and friends always called me The Cyber Boss so I just combined the two. It is a platform to promote awareness about cybersecurity and cybercrime. It is also to empower the black and brown communities to establish and maintain a safer, more secure online presence. ReeTheCyberBoss, LLC offers speaking engagements, workshops, trainings, and mentorship.

Cybersecurity is a diverse and evolving field. I want others to know that I know what’s it like to come into cybersecurity with no experience. I know how it feels to be intimidated and not feel smart about this subject. That’s why starting ReeTheCyberBoss, LLC, I make my content as relatable as I can so all backgrounds can understand. Cybersecurity plays a important role in our everyday lives and everyone should know how to protect themselves.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I initially started #ReeTheCyberBoss, LLC, I wanted to use my personal page because I had a lot of followers and didn’t want to start over. However, I knew that my personal page and business page should be separate. I had a friend from college, her name is J’Mesha and she is a virtual assistant/administrative assistant. She assisted me with building my social media page which included brand colors, type of content, and a schedule of posts. She gave me the tools and I was able to grow my social media page and skills.

Along with social media, a website is important as well. My best friend Kayla Collins who is the creator of Perfectly Pitched, LLC built out my first website and also taught me how it should appear and how my appearance should be represented online.

My advice for social media is to be patient and consistent.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I’m authentic, confident, and transparent. My journey to cybersecurity has not only inspired others to want to pivot to Cybersecurity but also has educated others on what Cybersecurity is and broke the stigma that Cybersecurity is only hacking when it’s so much more than that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reethecyberboss.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reethecyberboss/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/reethecyberboss
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msjereespicer