The UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) and School of Information (I School) are pleased to announce that Elijah Baucom has been appointed as Director of Citizen Clinic, the university’s public-interest cybersecurity clinic.
Through a model similar to clinics in law and medicine, Citizen Clinic trains teams of students from across the UC Berkeley campus to help public interest organizations build the capabilities they need to defend themselves against cyber adversaries, including ransomware attackers, malicious governments, hate groups, and extremists.
Elijah has taught the in-person Citizen Clinic class since January 2024. As Director, he will continue to teach the course, while working with other Clinic staff and instructors to grow and strengthen the program. He will also collaborate with leaders from other clinics through the Consortium for Cybersecurity Clinics, which UC Berkeley co-founded in May 2021.
“I am excited about transitioning into the role of Director of Citizen Clinic,” Elijah says. “I’m passionate about teaching and making cybersecurity knowledge and resources more accessible to everyone. My commitment is to make the Clinic as accessible as possible to every student on campus, regardless of area of study or existing tech knowledge. In addition, I am committed to working with and providing resources to social-sector organizations and individuals who are often targeted and more vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks.”
Elijah is a digital security and privacy activist with professional experience in management consulting, enterprise and solutions architecture, network engineering, systems administration, and education. He holds dual Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Telecommunication Systems Management from Murray State University. Following a career in the private sector, he founded Everyday Security, a company that provides cybersecurity and other IT architectural services and education to social justice organizations, non-profits, co-ops, activists, and individuals.
“I was tired of working in Corporate America and supporting corporations that didn’t align with my core values,” Elijah said in an interview earlier this spring. “I created Everyday Security to bridge gaps in cyber and digital security for everyday people — that is, those who are often disproportionately impacted by digital security challenges, including organizations focused on mental health for the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.”
Elijah’s new role is a natural continuation of his public interest work. Each semester, Citizen Clinic prepares teams of undergraduate and graduate students with a foundation in digital security before connecting them with mission-driven organizations that lack the resources and capacity to fully protect their digital networks. The students provide a range of services to their “clients,” such as conducting risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and helping them improve their cyber hygiene by adopting password managers, multi-factor authentication, and virtual private networks (VPNs).
“Threat actors are increasing in knowledge every day, so people are more susceptible to attack,” Elijah says. “We want to be able to prepare clients not only for now, but for the future as well. We try to help them understand the tools that they’re using, and put some policies and procedures in place to protect themselves.”
“We are delighted that Elijah will serve as the new Director of Citizen Clinic,” says Ann Cleaveland, Executive Director of CLTC and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Consortium for Cybersecurity Clinics. “His wealth of experience working with community organizations, his accolades as a teacher, and his vision for the Clinic will ensure that Citizen Clinic continues to grow and deliver on its mission.”
Elijah is assuming the leadership of Citizen Clinic at an exciting time. Last fall, as part of a $20 million investment to the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics from Google.org, the university received $500,000 in grant funding and additional support from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund.
UC Berkeley pioneered the cybersecurity model with the launch of Citizen Clinic in 2018. To date, Citizen Clinic has trained more than 185 students from over a dozen academic specialties and served 25 non-profit clients. U.S. clients have included women’s reproductive rights organizations, LGBTQ groups, organizations offering assistance for human trafficking survivors, and U.S.-based migrant and refugee aid organizations. The clinic’s international work has extended across three additional continents, as student teams have worked with indigenous rights groups, assisted refugees, and helped combat mis- and disinformation in active war zones.
With Google’s support over the next three years, Citizen Clinic will train approximately 70 students annually in preventing cyber attacks on critical public infrastructure and community organizations, including select partners chosen in consultation with the City and County of San Francisco. In addition to grant funding, Google is offering students volunteer mentorship from Google employees, Google Titan Security Keys, and scholarships for the new Google Career Certificate in Cybersecurity.
Learn more about Citizen Clinic. For information on enrolling in the course, visit this page.
