As a Redbird women’s basketball team captain, Tammy Kocher ’93 climbed Illinois State’s blocks-per-game list, where she still ranks in the top 25.
Appears In
FirstWord: Spring 2025
University News briefs: State Farm commits $3 million to data science
Where are they now?: Dave Bentlin
Kids learn to love hoops on Education Day
Then and Now: Nursing education
Pause for Applause: Spring 2025
A Day in the Life: Students connect through Fraternity and Sorority Life
Earned it: Fischer ‘humbled’ by alumni award
Class notes: Spring 2025
In memory: Spring 2025
Redbird trivia: Spring 2025
Thanks to you: Bone Scholar strives to make a difference
Redbird Legacy: Music runs in the Mack family
The lessons of Bangladesh: Dr. Ali Riaz gives voice to his native country as it fights for democracy
Athletics briefs: Beggs named director of Athletics
Trees of (college) life
Appetite for success: Entrepreneur builds community through food
Behind the lens: New York Times photographer Todd Heisler ’94 captures history in the making
Now the vice president and head of cyber underwriting for MSI, Kocher is a defensive specialist—not on the basketball court, but by connecting and protecting some of the largest Fortune 500 companies against online threats for the past two decades.
“Cyber is a team sport,” said Kocher, who played for legendary coach Dr. Jill Hutchison, M.S. ’69.
After earning a degree in marketing, Kocher became a trailblazing cyber insurance leader who customizes insurance solutions by assessing network security and privacy risks.
Among her many industry awards, Kocher was a finalist for the Most Inspiring Woman in Cyber (2024), a Hot 100 Insurance Leader (2024), an Elite Woman Leader in Insurance (2022), and a Most Inspiring Woman in Cyber (2021).
Kocher credits her “monumental” experience as a Redbird for instilling “discipline, teamwork, and resiliency” that helped her become an internationally respected business leader.
“ISU is a place that still feels like home to me,” she said.
