“Cyber threats are exploiting the human element,” Pleasants said. “It creates unrest.”
Pleasants is joining Trevecca as director of strategic initiatives for cyber security, AI and information sciences to educate and equip students about the growing need and urgency for cybersecurity. Pleasants brings experience in Christian higher education, military service, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and Christ-centered leadership.
He previously served at Liberty University, where he was one of the founding members of the school’s engineering program. His professional background includes a long career of strategic innovation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, technology commercialization, strategic partnerships, organizational transformation, higher education strategy, entrepreneurship, civil-military collaboration, leadership development and faith and vocation integration.
Pleasants’ work at Trevecca comes at a time when Nashville and Middle Tennessee continue to grow in fields where cybersecurity and information systems are increasingly important.
“Nashville is exploding,” Pleasants said, pointing to growth in healthcare, technology, music, film and business. “We’re going to create core partnerships in the Nashville area.”
Pleasants said he is helping Trevecca think about artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and information systems, including how those fields will affect students as they prepare for future careers. Regarding his new role, he points to the importance of cybersecurity in healthcare and opportunities to serve military-connected students.
Healthcare in particular is what Pleasants sees as a clear need; as more systems rely on artificial intelligence and digital information, the amount of sensitive data creates new risks.
“There’s so much information that can be exploited,” Pleasants said.
That concern extends beyond organizations. Pleasants said students in every field need to understand how cyber threats work because the risks are increasingly personal.
“No matter what major you’re in, this is going to impact your life,” he said.
He pointed to social engineering as one of the clearest examples. Many breaches begin with human interaction rather than code, using messages, phone calls, social media or publicly available information to manipulate people.
Pleasants said students need to think carefully about what they share online and how quickly threat actors can build a profile from their digital presence. Artificial intelligence, he said, is accelerating those risks.
“The exploits through the use of artificial intelligence are scary,” Pleasants said. “It’s not to say, ‘The world is falling,’ but just an awareness that you need to be smart.”
Pleasants’ view of cybersecurity is also shaped by his military experience. He serves as a U.S. Army Civil Affairs officer, supporting civil-military planning and coordination in the specialty areas of technology, telecommunications and critical infrastructure.
His military background has shaped the way he thinks about national security and the human side of cyber threats. He said the modern threat landscape is not limited to soldiers on a battlefield.
“It’s now about what's happening through social media and through social engineering aspects,” he said. “Threat actors are a real threat.”
For Pleasants, that makes cybersecurity education especially important at a Christian university.
“Every workplace, every profession is a mission field,” Pleasants said.
He pointed to faith-based technology companies and digital tools serving churches as examples of how technical skill can be used to solve real problems.
“We need students to see the world through the eyes of Christ and how their major can be used to impact the kingdom,” he said. “We need those technical entrepreneurs that have kingdom mindsets.”
Pleasants said one of Trevecca’s strengths is the opportunity for students to be known.
“At a place like Trevecca, you get to know your faculty,” Pleasants said. “You get to know the staff, you begin to build a community, and hopefully that stays with you.”
One of the central questions he hopes to explore in the new role is, “What can we do to educate so that we have critical thinkers solving real problems that are kingdom-driven?”
That’s a concept Pleasants will help Trevecca ponder as begins his work with the University.