Speakers

Mr. Sharpe is a long-time (+30 years) Cybersecurity, Governance, and Digital Transformation expert with real-world operational experience. Mr. Sharpe has run business units and has influenced national policy. He teaches Governance of AI and Resilience at the graduate level and is supporting the implementation of the resilience recommendations (PCAST report) made to the President. He has spent much of his career helping corporations and government agencies create value while mitigating cyber risk. This gives him a pragmatic understanding of the delicate balance between Business realities, Cybersecurity, and Operational Effectiveness. He began his career at NSA, moving into the Management Consulting ranks building practices at Booz Allen and KPMG. He subsequently co-founded two firms with successful exits, including the Hackett Group (NASDAQ HCKT). He has participated in over 25 M&A transactions. He has delivered to clients in almost 30 countries on 6 continents.

Contributions: Founding Co-Chair for Zero Trust 1 and 2. Recently returned. Resilience lead for joint Financial Services and Zero Trust working group. Key Management contributor. Contributor to ZT9, and ZT4. Contributor to AI Resilience publication.

Content developer for Zero Trust training.

Presented at about a eight CSA conferences and symposiums. Presented CSA's Zero Trust efforts to six non-CSA symposiums including two DoD forums. Primary contributor to five CSA publications. Regularly produce works for CSA including blogs.

Alissa Knight is a former black hat hacker turned filmmaker, author, and cybersecurity expert. After being arrested at 17 for hacking a government network, she worked in cyber warfare for the U.S. Intelligence Community and later authored the bestselling Hacking Connected Cars. She's now an award-winning Hollywood director and producer and runs 9 companies under Knight Group.

Anna Campbell McKee is the Director of Training Programs at the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), where she leads global education programs focused on cybersecurity best practices. She oversees CSA’s flagship certifications, the Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) and the Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT), which have received top industry honors, including recognition for Best Cloud Security Certification and Cutting-Edge Cybersecurity Training.

Anna is currently leading CSA’s newest initiative: the development of training and certification programs, such as Trusted AI Expert (TAISE), focused on AI safety and security to address the emerging governance and risk challenges of AI-enabled systems.

With over a decade of experience in cybersecurity, governance, data integrity, and public sector collaboration, Anna is known for translating complex technical topics into accessible, standards-driven education. She contributes to cybersecurity research, speaks on workforce development and emerging technology risks, and supports mentorship and civic leadership through her service on her local city Planning and Utilities Commission.

Anna holds an MBA from Western Washington University and undergraduate degrees in Biology and Integrated Science from the University of Washington.

Andy Ellis is a Legendary CISO, providing a spark of genius across security, leadership, product and messaging. A graduate of MIT and former US Air Force officer, Andy designed, built, and brought to market many of Akamai’s security products, leading the Fortune 1000 company from its start as a content delivery network into an industry powerhouse with a billion-dollar dedicated cybersecurity business. Widely respected across the cybersecurity industry for his pragmatic approach to aligning security and business needs, Andy regularly speaks and writes on cybersecurity, leadership, inclusion, and decision making. He is the author of 1% Leadership: Master the Small, Daily Improvements that Set Great Leaders Apart. Andy is an early-stage investor in the cybersecurity industry. Andy may be the only person on the planet to receive the CSO Compass Award, Air Force Commendation Medal, Spirit of Disneyland Award, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (for The Arlington Inn), and to win the Sherman Oaks Galleria Spelling Bee. In 2021, Andy was inducted into the CSO Hall of Fame.

Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Cyber capabilities. He is responsible for leading the acquisition, development, and technology insertion of cyber security solutions from the enterprise perimeter to the endpoint. Key capabilities in his portfolio include cyber data and analytics, zero trust (Thunderdome), and identity management.
Dr. Hermann previously led the Agency’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Services where he oversaw the development and acquisition of DoW-wide enterprise information technology unified capabilities, business systems, and warfighting command and control capabilities for the Department of War.

A retired U.S. Air Force Communications and Cyber Officer, Dr. Hermann has served in a variety of communications, acquisition-related, software, test and evaluation, information technology, and educational positions. He developedtechniques for evaluating software product maturity and reliability used formajor aircraft acquisition programs. He also has extensive experience teachingsystems and software engineering, delivering information technology services,and leading educational departments. As a National Defense Fellow, he
published research on a normative U.S. Government response to cyber-attacks.

In his final active-duty tour, Colonel Hermann led DISA’s Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) program’scollaboration services team and served as the Chief of DISA’s Enterprise Applications Services Division. After military retirement, Dr. Hermann spent several years in industry before rejoining the government in July 2016. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science with a focus on Software Engineering from Arizona State University. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Air War College, the College of Naval Command and Staff, and the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Bryson is the Founder of SCYTHE, a start-up building a next generation attack emulation platform, and GRIMM, a cybersecurity consultancy, and Co-Founder of the ICS Village, a non-profit advancing awareness of industrial control system security. He is a Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity and National Security at R Street and the National Security Institute and an Advisor to the Army Cyber Institute. As a U.S. Army Officer, he served as a Battle Captain and Brigade Engineering Officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before leaving the Army as a Captain. He was recognized as one of the Top 50 in Cyber in 2020 by Business Insider.

Bryson received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He holds a Master’s Degree in Telecommunications Management from the University of Maryland, a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Florida, and completed graduate studies in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas.

Dr. Calvin Nobles is the Portfolio Vice President and Dean of the School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus. A nationally recognized leader in cybersecurity education, he brings extensive experience spanning academic leadership, industry engagement, and more than 25 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy.

Prior to joining UMGC, he served as Department Chair at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he elevated the online Master’s in Cybersecurity program to national prominence and received the 2023 Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service. His scholarship and leadership focus on cybersecurity, human factors engineering, and the intersection of technology, workforce development, and national security.

Dr. Nobles serves on several influential boards, including the National Cryptologic Foundation
and the Cyber Association, Inc., where he contributes to national conversations on cybersecurity education, policy, and workforce development. In recognition of his leadership and impact on the cybersecurity field, he received the 2026 Malcolm Baldrige Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence in Cybersecurity.

He holds multiple doctoral degrees and remains deeply committed to advancing innovation,
expanding access to education, and preparing the next generation of cybersecurity and
technology professionals.

Security Leader with over 20+ years of experience across Financial Services, Streaming, Retail and IT Services with a heavy focus on Cloud, DevSecOps and Threat Modeling. Advises multiple security startups on Product Strategy, Alliances and Integrations. Sits on multiple Customer Advisory Boards helping to drive security product roadmaps, integrations and feature developments. Avid hockey player, backpacker and wine collector in his spare time.

Christopher Steffen, CISSP, CISA, is the Vice President of Research for information security/risk and compliance management for Enterprise Management Associates, a technology industry analyst and consulting firm. He serves as co-chair for the Zero Trust working group for the Cloud Security Alliance. He holds multiple certifications, including CISSP and CISA. 

Dr. Chase Cunningham is a globally recognized authority on cyber warfare, Zero Trust architecture, and national security strategy. A former NSA and U.S. military veteran, he has spent more than two decades at the intersection of offensive and defensive cyber operations, advising Fortune 500 companies, critical infrastructure providers, and government agencies on how to survive and win in contested digital environments. Widely known as “Dr. Zero Trust,” he has helped shape modern cyber doctrine, authored influential research and frameworks adopted across industry and government, and led the design of practical, real-world security programs that measurably reduce risk.

In this keynote, Dr. Cunningham brings together intelligence, economics, and operational reality to argue that cyber war is not a future scenario but a present-tense conflict already inflicting nation-scale financial and human damage—just slowly enough that most people never see it as war.

Chuck Weissenborn is the Public Sector CTO at Dragos, a cybersecurity company providing protection to critical infrastructure that supports over 80% of the U.S. population. He supports efforts across the community to secure our Nation’s and the world's most critical assets from cyber threats. While at Dragos, Chuck has provided strategic and technical advice to the United States, NATO, and NATO member nations on topics related to critical infrastructure cybersecurity.

Prior to joining Dragos, Chuck led business operations supporting the U.S. Army worldwide at Symantec (later a Broadcom corporation). Chuck is a member of the Army National Guard, where he supports numerous US Department of War organizations in efforts to defend critical infrastructure against foreign threats. In 2023, he served as the Special Assistant to the Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army; in 2025 he provided support to the Immediate Office of the Secretary of War, focusing on security of national critical infrastructure.

He is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, the U.S. Army Combat Infantryman Badge, the Signal Corps Regimental Association Bronze Order of Mercury, and many other federal and Texas state awards and decorations. Chuck is an avid supporter of several non-profit organizations and is the co-chair for the Critical Infrastructure/Control Systems cybersecurity committee at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). He is the former president of the Alamo Chapter of the Signal Corps Regimental Association and a former vice president of the Alamo Chapter of AFCEA. Chuck has presented on topics ranging from critical infrastructure cybersecurity to mental health and neurodivergence at international and national events, including the RSA Conference. Chuck lives in Annapolis, MD with his wife Caitlin and daughter Calleigh.

Daniel J. Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author. He led Michigan government’s cybersecurity and technology infrastructure teams from May 2002 to August 2014, including as enterprise-wide chief security officer (CSO), chief technology officer (CTO) and chief information security officer (CISO). During his distinguished career, he has served both the public and private sectors in a variety of executive leadership capacities including advising senior leaders at the White House, National Governors Association (NGA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Throughout his career he has received numerous national awards including CSO of the Year, Public Official of the Year and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader.

Daniel Takabi received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and currently is Director of School of Cybersecurity, Batten Endowed Chair in Cybersecurity, and Director of Coastal Virginia Center for Cyber Innovation (COVA CCI). His research interests include various aspects of cybersecurity and privacy, including AI security, privacy-preserving machine learning, adversarial learning, and usable security and privacy. He has published more than 100 technical articles in highly competitive journals and conference proceedings. He served as principal investigator for more than 25 projects with over $24 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense, and private industry. In recognition of his research contributions, he has received a Microsoft Investigator Fellowship and several Best paper awards.

Mr. Daryl Haegley is a pioneer in operational technology (OT) cyber resilience with more than 30 years of military, federal, and commercial experience leading mission-critical cyber initiatives. As the first DoD OT Senior Executive currently focused on Air Force & Space Force OT cyber resilience, he oversees a $2B+ portfolio of critical infrastructure protection and established the Cyber Resilience Office for control Systems (CROCS). Recognized as DoD's foremost expert in control systems cybersecurity, his last assignment within the Office of the Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of Defense oversaw the Department’s strategic global OT mission critical cyber efforts. Significant accomplishments include writing the report to the President addressing Cyber Physical Systems skills and training gaps leading obtaining coordination from DoD, DOE, DoT & DHS, and drafting the DoD's Control Systems Cyber Defense Reference Architecture. He is a fellow at Control System Cyber Security Association International (CS2AI), Mission Critical & Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT), Federal Advisory Committee Member at George Mason University & Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC).

Mr. David Voelker is a senior technical authority for the Department of the Navy (DON), serving as the DON CIO’s Lead on Zero Trust Architecture and the NAVWAR Systems Command Technical Warrant Holder (TWH) for IT Standards and the Systems Engineering Process. His career with NIWC Pacific, which began in May 2000, has been marked by significant contributions to naval networking and systems integration. As the Lead Test Engineer for the Integrated Shipboard Network System (ISNS), his efforts directly led to the landmark introduction of virtualization across the U.S. Navy fleet. Mr. Voelker is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Redlands.

Danielle “DJ” Jablanski leads STV’s operational technology (OT) cybersecurity consulting program, advising clients in security program development, strategy, tool selection and deployment to mitigate cybersecurity threats facing operational technology and cyber-physical environments across transportation, energy, water, and infrastructure projects. Formerly a SME in the Office of the Technical Director at CISA, at Nozomi Networks, and Guidehouse, she is an experienced strategist, analyst, and program manager, with hands-on industry and governance expertise in OT and industrial control systems (ICS).

DJ developed OT and industrial control systems (ICS) strategy for the Cybersecurity Division (CSD) of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a department of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She conducted analysis of cross-sector security needs, controls assessments, and OT cybersecurity challenges. She authored the latest OT guidance on network segmentation, and consulted on OT projects across the federal government, from Zero Trust implementation in OT networks to high value asset identification and classification across the federal civilian and executive branch. DJ also led interagency and cross-sector risk analysis related to the White House National Security Memorandum 22, Sector Risk Management priorities, and industry collaboration efforts.

In prior roles DJ was an industry expert on intrusion detection systems for industrial control systems, as well as IoT deployments, smart cities, and cyber insurance. Early in her career, DJ spent two years contributing to the creation and ideation of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University. Before that, she served a globally operating non-profit foundation working at the intersection of technology and nuclear weapons policy. In 2022 DJ joined the Atlantic Council as a non-resident fellow with the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, focusing on operational technology and workforce development issues. She is also an adjunct professor, who enjoys teaching Intro to ICS cybersecurity at Dallas College and Cyber-Physical Defense at the Middlebury Institute.

In a world where cyber threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace, visionary leadership is essential to staying ahead. At the helm of Netrascale, Denis Nwanshi has not only embraced the challenge but has set a new standard in cybersecurity and risk intelligence. Recently, his outstanding contributions were recognized as he was named Risk Management CEO of the Year 2024 – Canada by CEO Monthly, a testament to his unwavering commitment to cybersecurity innovation.

Derek Doerr is a seasoned technology leader with over 30 years of experience spanning private and public sectors. As the Zero Trust Single-Threaded Leader and Security Lead for AWS US Federal, he drives strategic initiatives and maintains security culture while coordinating teams across AWS. His focus is on helping customer adopt Zero Trust architectures, security best practices, cloud governance, compliance aand threat modeling. He leads the US Federal Team’s Go-To-Market initiatives for Zero Trust and reinforces AWS's Culture of Security through the Federal Security Guardians program.

An accomplished, recognized, and effective senior leader of defense IT projects and programs with impact at the national and Service level. Propels change through complex IT organizations in the most challenging environments in the world. Organizes effective stakeholder coalitions, often with competing and conflicting interests, to address and resolve longstanding problems. A versatile, experienced, and highly capable IT leader, always ready for the next challenge.

Ms. Millar has over 25 years of information technology/cybersecurity experience in commercial and government sectors. She served in various cybersecurity roles, including her position in the Navy Authorizing Official’s office. She earned her second Navy Meritorious Service Award for her leadership and dedication as the Director of Cyber Readiness during Operation Rolling Tide under Fleet Cyber Command. As the Director, Cybersecurity Operational Test and Evaluation, U.S. Navy Operational Test and Evaluation Force, she led the effort to shift the focus from compliance to mission impact on the warfighting mission. She joined the Defense Acquisition University in 2021 as a cybersecurity professor and consultant.

Francesco Chiarini is the founder and Chair of the ISSA.org Cyber Resilience Special Interest Group with nearly 2500 associates across the globe, and the creator of the Cyber Resilience Awareness Day worldwide. He is also the founder and lead instructor of the Cyber Resilience Academy, a global pioneer in cyber resilience education that equips professionals with the skills to design and safeguard resilient enterprise environments. Sought-after speaker who presented at global audiences including recent talks at United Nations, MITRE, FS-ISAC, ISACA, ISSA, Microsoft, London Stock Exchange, FIRST, Asia Pacific CERT, Africa CERT and many others.

In 2022, Francesco has co-authored multiple recognized research papers such as the World Economic Forum “The Cyber Resilience Index: Advancing Organizational Cyber Resilience”, the ASIFMA “Data Vaulting considerations for improving data recovery” and the Eurocontrol “Incident Timing Metrics, Reporting Cyber Risk to Boards.

From 2019 when NIST released the 800-160 publication, Francesco specialized in equipping companies with the ability to withstand and recover from multi-faceted attacks from advanced adversaries. He had the privilege to build a best-in-class cyber resilience program vetted -among others- by experts of the US CISA cyber resilience task force. In this capacity, Francesco has coined the concept of “high value target” to identify key assets from an adversarial standpoint.

Francesco currently leads global cyber resilience for a major pharmaceutical organization, where he focuses on assessing and advancing its resilience posture by identifying the core capabilities needed to stay sustainably ahead of evolving cyber threats.

Francesco has 20 years’ experience in IT and cyber security and joined Standard Chartered Bank from PepsiCo where he was in charge of one of the two global Cyber Fusion Centers (Poland), leading globally incident response, red teaming, adversary emulation and cyber resilience.

He has hired hundreds of information security professionals in Poland and won the 2021 Volunteer of the Year award at ISSA.org, won the global innovation award from the US Consumer Brands Association in 2018 among Fortune-100 companies, and founded the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Special Interest Group at FIRST.org group.

Gary Barlet currently serves as Illumio’s Public Sector Chief Technology Officer where he is responsible for working with Federal and SLED agencies, system integrators and the broader ecosystem to build in Zero Trust Segmentation as a strategic component of the government
Zero Trust architecture.

Prior to joining Illumio, he served as Chief Information Officer for the Office of the Inspector General, United States Postal Service for almost 10 years.  He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Air Force where he served as a Cyberspace Operations Officer for 20 years, holding key leadership positions including on the Air Force and Air National Guard CIO staffs and as a communications squadron commander.

Experienced Cyber Security Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the Computer & Network Security industry. Skilled in Information Assurance, DoW Cybersecurity Policies, Information Security, NIST, and Risk Management Framework. Strong engineering professional with a Master of Science (MS) focused in Information Assurance from Capella University.

Dr. Georgianna “George” Shea, chief technologist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and its Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab, is a visionary leader in cybersecurity with nearly 30 years of pioneering experience across federal and commercial sectors. Renowned for her ability to translate complex technical challenges into innovative security solutions, she has been instrumental in safeguarding critical national infrastructure. Dr. Shea is at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation, bridging the gap between technical complexity and business needs by spearheading the development and piloting of groundbreaking projects that tackle the most pressing national security challenges and shape industry policies and security frameworks.

Her notable contributions include serving on the cyber-physical resilience working group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), where she offered essential recommendations for infrastructure protection. Her expertise is highly sought after, leading her to advisory roles with technology companies like Cybeats, Rixon Technology, American Binary, and The Cyber Hero vCISO Network, as well as participation in the CyberWire Hash Table of experts.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Shea is a dedicated educator and mentor. She has taught at Colorado Technical University, the University of Maine at Augusta, and Fusion Cyber and has spoken at prestigious venues such as Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS), Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and Georgetown University. Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Computer Science from Colorado Technical University, a master’s in computer and information sciences from Regis University, and a bachelor’s in computer science from Hawaii Pacific University.

Dr. Heath Gross is a cybersecurity leader, educator, and former U.S. Navy technical director with more than 25 years of experience supporting defense and national security missions. His career spans cyber engineering, systems integration, and program leadership across complex Navy and DoD environments.

Today, Dr. Gross serves as a Professor at the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), where he teaches cybersecurity, Zero Trust architecture, and the integration of artificial intelligence into acquisition and mission systems. He focuses on helping the defense workforce leverage emerging technologies to strengthen cyber resilience and mission effectiveness.

Jason Garbis is an experienced contributor and influencer within the information security industry. As Founder and CEO at Numberline Security, he helps organizations prepare for, define, and execute effective Zero Trust strategies. Jason has authored two books on Zero Trust security, “Zero Trust Security: An Enterprise Guide” and “Getting Started With Zero Trust”. He is co-chair of the Zero Trust Working Group at the Cloud Security Alliance, and is a frequent contributor to and speaker at industry conferences. Jason holds a CISSP certification, has a BS in Computer Science from Cornell, and an MBA from Northeastern. Professionally, he has over 25 years of experience in the areas of Identity Management, Enterprise Security Architectures, Network Security, and Security Strategy. Previously, he served as Chief Product Officer at Appgate, and held leadership roles at security firms including RSA and Aveksa. Prior to that Jason held roles in product management and engineering at various technology companies.

Author, international speaker, and advisor to 50+ Fortune companies, Jennifer (JJ) Minella takes a unique approach to solving technical problems. Named as one of cyber security's Top 10 Power Players, Jennifer has been helping security-conscious organizations solve technical challenges in meaningful ways. She has served as a trusted advisor to some of the word's largest companies, creating technical and leadership strategies to accelerate digital transformation. Creator of the Mindfulness-Based Leadership Workshop for CXOs, JJ believes today's most complex technical problems require a new skillset -- one obtained through mindfulness. Jennifer is the founder and principal advisor of Viszen Security, offering technical strategy, network security architecture, and coaching to CXOs and practitioners. And aside from meditation and security, she's a competitive powerlifter and dancer including ballroom and swing. She also loves Figment, the imagination dragon.

Jerry Chapman is the Co‑Founder and CTO of Numberline Security. With over 25 years of
industry experience, he has led numerous enterprise IAM and Zero Trust projects, helping
organizations design and implement strategies that align security and business objectives. As a recognized IAM expert, Jerry provides guidance and thought leadership across multiple
cybersecurity domains, with a focus on establishing Identity as the foundation of a security‑led
architecture. He has supported clients through complex Zero Trust transformations across
global enterprises and government environments. Jerry is also the co‑author of the widely
respected book Zero Trust Security: An Enterprise Guide.

Jerry Derrick is a cybersecurity leader with more than 25 years of experience supporting federal agencies and the U.S. Army in cybersecurity engineering and data analysis. His expertise includes SOC modernization, cyber analytics, risk management, incident response, and building mission-critical systems that strengthen analyst detection and response capabilities. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and holds a master’s degree in Information Systems from Harvard University. 

Jim has spent over 25 years in the technology space.  He brings background across many technologies, creating solutions and products for the Federal and managed service markets.  He started his career in software development, scripting, automation and operations.  Prior to Palo Alto Networks, Jim spent 13 years as CTO for Iron Bow Technologies focused on developing and deploying solutions for the Federal Government.  From 2004 to 2008 Jim managed the engineering team focused on the Army and DoD agencies for EMC Corporation.  During his tenure, Jim used his security and scripting background to create automated STIG scripts used by EMC in hundreds of deployments throughout the DoD.   

Prior to working with the Federal government, his background is in operations and solutions working in software development, telecommunications, service providers and managed services.

With over 25 years of experience as a practitioner and industry analyst, John Kindervag is considered one of the world’s foremost cybersecurity experts, best known for creating the revolutionary Zero Trust Model of cybersecurity while at Forrester Research over a decade ago.

In 2021, John was named to the U.S. President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) Zero Trust Sub-Committee and was a primary author of the NSTAC Zero Trust report that was delivered to the President. That same year, he was named CISO Magazine’s Cybersecurity Person of the Year.  

Today, as Chief Evangelist at Illumio, John is responsible for accelerating awareness and driving adoption of Zero Trust Segmentation across industries.  

ordan Burris is a trailblazer in government innovation and digital trust, leveraging over 15 years of experience to transform public sector technology and pioneer cutting-edge solutions. As Vice President & General Manager of Public Sector at Socure, Jordan is driven by a profound commitment to identity inclusion and fairness. In this role, he steers the operations and strategic direction of the business, while seamlessly integrating dynamic teams in strategy, customer success, sales, business development, legal, and compliance to redefine how identity verification technologies enable digital service delivery.

Prior to Socure, Jordan was the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Chief Information Officer at the White House, where he led transformative technology and cybersecurity efforts across two Presidential administrations. He was a key architect of initiatives that modernized federal IT infrastructure, reimagined cybersecurity, and advanced digital identity solutions, all while overseeing the Federal Government’s multi-billion dollar technology budget.

As a prominent voice in technology, Jordan serves on the boards of the Identity Theft Resource Center and the Kantara Initiative, actively advancing efforts in identity compromise mitigation and digital identity standards. A certified CISSP and CRISC practitioner, and a proud graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Jordan is on a mission to shape a safer, more inclusive digital future.

Joseph supports security and risk (S&R) professionals, helping clients develop security strategies and make informed decisions to protect against cyberattacks. As a research director for S&R, he leads the analyst team researching security leadership, the role of the CISO, infrastructure and operations, detection and response, and Forrester’s Zero Trust model of information security. His research focuses on insider threat prevention, security operations, and security management.

Joseph has presented at industry events, been quoted in the media, and written on a variety of security topics.

Previous Work Experience

His 16 years of security experience include marketing leadership and product marketing roles at Solutionary, McAfee, Vigilar, and IBM (ISS), where he focused on managed security services, consulting services, email security, network security, and compliance. As a marketing leader, Joseph helped align client needs with marketing strategy, messaging, and go-to-market activities while educating users about security strategy. His background also includes extensive experience in the IT, telecommunications, and consulting industries with Nextel, IBM, Philips Electronics, and KPMG.

Education

Joseph holds an MBA from Kennesaw State University, a BA in English from Auburn University, and an AA from Wallace Community College.

Josh Woodruff is the Founder and CEO of MassiveScale.AI and creator of the Agentic Trust Framework (ATF), the first Zero Trust framework purpose-built for AI agents. He is a Cloud Security Alliance Research Fellow, co-leads the CSA Zero Trust Working Group, and serves as IANS Research Faculty.

Leading security for a global biotech giant, Josh architected the security and governance framework that took an enterprise AI deployment from zero to production in 30 days, a process that typically takes 6-12 months. The deployment earned the organization's highest innovation award and led to a multi-year enterprise agreement. He has designed Zero Trust architectures for aerospace defense contractors requiring FedRAMP High and CMMC compliance, delivered critical infrastructure security roadmaps aligned to CISA ZTMM 2.0, and introduced DevSecOps and built Cloud Security teams at Morgan Stanley and American Express.

His book, "Agentic AI + Zero Trust: A Guide for Business Leaders," features a foreword by John Kindervag, creator of Zero Trust. Josh is regularly quoted as an expert source in CSO Online and Computerworld, and speaks at RSAC Conference, IANS Forums, DOD Zero Trust Conferences, and CSA AI and Zero Trust Summits.

Karen Uttecht is a member of Technical Staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the Cyber Operations and Research Technology Group. For the last five years, one of her passions has been helping government solve the hard challenges in Zero Trust. Some topics she has lead government research projects on include ZT assessment and metrics, applying ZT to weapon systems, and orchestration of trust and policy. She helped create the DoD Zero Trust Symposium, now in its second year and has developed and taught a short course on Zero Trust for several years at the MIT LL Cyber Technology for National Security conference.

Ken Huang is a prolific author and renowned expert in AI and Web3, with numerous published books spanning business and technical guides as well as cutting-edge research. He is a Research Fellow and Co-Chair of the AI Safety Working Groups at the Cloud Security Alliance, Co-Chair of the OWASP AIVSS project, and Co-Chair of the AI STR Working Group at the World Digital Technology Academy.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, where he teaches a graduate course on Generative AI for Data Security.Huang serves as CEO and Chief AI Officer (CAIO) of DistributedApps.ai, a firm specializing in generative AI-related training and consulting. His technical leadership is further reflected in his role as a core contributor to OWASP's Top 10 Risks for LLM Applications and his participation in the NIST Generative AI Public Working Group.

Key Books:

- Securing AI Agents: Foundations, Frameworks, and Real-World Deployment , Springer, October, 2025
- Agentic AI: Theories and Practices; Springer, July 2025
- LLM Design Patterns; Packt, May 2025
- Beyond AI: ChatGPT, Web3, and the Business Landscape of Tomorrow; Springer, 2023
- Generative AI Security: Theories and Practices; Springer, 2024
- Practical Guide for AI Engineers (Volumes 1 and 2 by DistributedApps.ai, 2024)
- The Handbook for Chief AI Officers: Leading the AI Revolution in Business; DistributedApps.ai, 2024
- Web3: Blockchain, the New Economy, and the Self-Sovereign Internet; Cambridge University Press, 2024
- Web3 Applications Security and New Security Landscape: Theories and Practices; Springer, 2024
- Blockchain and Web3: Building the Cryptocurrency, Privacy, and Security Foundations of the Metaverse (Wiley, 2023)

A globally sought-after speaker, Ken has presented at events hosted by RSA, OWASP, ISC2, Davos WEF, ACM, IEEE, Consensus, the CSA AI Summit, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, and the World Bank. He is also a member of the OpenAI Forum, contributing to global dialogue on secure and responsible AI development.

Explore Ken’s books on Amazon

Kevin E. Greene is a nationally recognized cybersecurity strategist with expertise in Zero Trust and threat-informed defense. He has led cyber initiatives at DHS, MITRE, OpenText, and BeyondTrust, shaping policy, advancing R&D, and mentoring future leaders.

Konrad Wrona is a principal engineer at the NATO Cyber Security Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands, where he leads the research and innovation activities. He also has a research position at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland. Konrad has over 20 years of work experience in industrial (Ericsson Research and SAP Research) and academic (RWTH Aachen University, Media Lab Europe, and Rutgers University) research and development environments. He received his M.Eng. in Telecommunications from Warsaw University of Technology, Poland, in 1998 and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, in 2005. He is an author and co-author of over 100 publications and a co-inventor on several patents. His professional interests focus on security issues in military communication and information systems. Konrad Wrona is a Senior Member of the IEEE, Senior Member of the ACM, and Member of IACR.

Mr. Grate received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Mercer University, and a Masters of Science in Cybersecurity from St. Bonaventure.  Larry brings 35 plus years's experience in control systems of all types, with experience in DoD, commercial, and industrial control system sectors. 

His cybersecurity experience includes having served as a member on the ISA 99 committee and other roles.  He has done extensive work with numerous global corporations.  Larry holds a Professional Engineer license in the State of Georgia, and the certifications of Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP), Response and Industrial Defense (GRID), Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), ISA/IEC 62443 Expert, as well as others.  Prior to Aleta, Larry stood up the security program for one of the top system integrators serving a variety of manufacturing industries.

Military Service & Tactical Foundations - Lee Aguilar began his career with 12 years of combined service in the U.S. Army (Active Duty and Reserves) as an Information Technology Specialist (25B). Tasked with maintaining mission-critical connectivity in high-stakes environments, he completed three combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and served extensively in Germany, South Korea, and Kuwait.

Technical Execution in the Field - Specializing in tactical communications, he engineered and deployed Tactical Operating Centers (TOCs) using complex satellite and networking stacks (JNN, VSAT, STT, CPN). Beyond hardware, he navigated the rigorous transition from DIACAP to the Risk Management Framework (RMF), ensuring that frontline communication systems remained secure against evolving cyber threats.

DoD Systems Engineering & Risk Management - Following his military service, Lee Aguilar transitioned to DoD contracting, where he served as a Systems Engineer and Information System Security Officer (ISSO). He managed vulnerability patching, directory services, and CMRS reporting for COCOMs, ultimately leading the RMF accreditation and Tenable scanner architecture for a multinational classified network enclave.

Modernization at Microsoft (Today) Since joining Microsoft in 2019, Lee Aguilar has evolved from a Platform Engineer focused on Directory Services to a leader in Cloud Modernization. Today, he serves as a Cybersecurity Cloud Solutions Architect, guiding global organizations through their Zero Trust journeys. He specializes in the Microsoft XDR stack, including Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel, helping partners secure their digital estates in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Lieuwe Jan Koning is Co-Founder and CTO of ON2IT and the creator of ON2IT’s AUXO™, the proprietary Zero Trust as a Service platform. This is one of the many ways he shows he is committed to innovation that delivers leading edge Zero Trust cybersecurity solutions, services and support.

In addition to his broad knowledge of ICT, he has always had a passion for IT security. He was one of the first to introduce the Zero Trust strategy on the European market, together with major players like Palo Alto Networks and VMware. Lieuwe Jan’s creativity, combined with his specialistic technical knowledge, makes him a valuable sparring partner in solving in-depth security issues.

Mark Allers is the Vice President of Business Development at Cimcor, where he drives strategic industry alignment, partnerships, and market expansion for Cimcor’s integrity assurance platform, CimTrak. With more than two decades of experience in enterprise software, cybersecurity, and IT operations, Mark has held executive leadership roles at companies including Tripwire, CyberSafe, Symbium, SignaCert, TriStrata, and New Net Technologies. He is a frequent keynote speaker on topics such as DevSecOps, Zero Trust, compliance, and file integrity monitoring, and has a proven track record of developing new market segments.

Prior to focusing exclusively on cybersecurity, Mark spent several years designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise IT Service Management (ITSM) technologies from BMC, CA, HP, and IBM, grounding his approach to security in ITIL-based operational controls and processes. During his tenure at Tripwire, Mark was responsible for business and corporate development, where he drove strategic vision and partnerships and helped launch one of the first cyber-insurance programs with Lloyd’s of London, designed to protect organizations from losses resulting from unauthorized or malicious activity within corporate information systems.

Mark has two decades of experience at leading security companies in the U.S., Australia, U.K., and Germany. He is a noted expert in data protection, data privacy, and information risk reduction. Before joining Anjuna, where he owned product strategy for advanced confidential computing, he headed product and business strategy for Voltage Security (acquired by HPE) and the Atalla HSM business at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He most recently led product management for Amazon’s Payment Cryptography business.

Mikko Hypponen is a global security expert who has been working in security research since 1991. He is currently the Chief Research Officer at Sensofusion in Finland. Mikko has published his research in The New York Times, Wired, and Scientific American. He has lectured at Oxford, Harvard, and MIT, and at the Finnish National Defence Courses since 2002. He has keynoted at DEF CON, RSA and Black Hat conferences and he's an official TED Speaker. Mikko is also a best-selling international author.

Nick Espinosa has been on a first-name basis with computers for more than 25 years. He’s been passionately building computers and programming in multiple languages since he was 7 and secured his first IT job when he was 15. He went on to found Windy City Networks, Inc. when he was 19 and the company was later acquired in 2013. In 2015, Nick set up Security Fanatics, a cybersecurity and cyberwarfare consulting firm committed to relentlessly developing customized online defense strategies for clients all over the world.

Paul Coggin is senior principal cybersecurity analyst with Dynetics. He is responsible for architecting and securing large complex tactical, critical infrastructure and service provider networks.

His expertise includes tactical, service provider, and ICS\SCADA network infrastructure hacker attacks, and defenses, as well as large complex network design and implementation. His experience includes leading network architecture reviews, vulnerability analysis, and penetration testing engagements for critical infrastructure and tactical networks.

Paul is a Cisco Systems certified Instructor #32230, certified EC-Council instructor, and certified SCADA security architect. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, a master’s in computer information systems, and a master’s in information assurance and security. He is currently pursuing a master’s in system management. In addition he holds a wide array of certifications from Cisco, EC Council, ISC^2, and others.

Shaw is a cybersecurity professional with over 25 years of experience in DoD cybersecurity. His prior work focused on DoD Zero Trust implementation across DoD Agencies and COCOMs.  He spent over two years working on Zero Trust implementation with the DoD’s Defense Health Agency (DHA) Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) IT staffs.  Healthcare information flows are complex and dynamic with multiple operational, regulatory, and infrastructural constraints.  Shaw was a Cybersecurity Professor with the Warfighting Acquisition University for over 10 years and a Department of Navy Technical Authority/Program Manager for the prior 17 years.  He retired from the Naval Reserve after 30 years of service and a Navy Captain.  He is an independent cybersecurity consultant.  Shaw holds a Doctor of Science (DSc) in Cybersecurity from Capitol Technology University, along with five masters degrees, a certified ISC2 CISSP-ISSEP, and a GIAC GICSP.

Philip Griffiths - Head of Strategic Sales with NetFoundry, CSA Zero Trust Networking co-lead and co-author of Software-Defined Perimeter v3, Zero Trust Microsegmentation Guidance, and more.

Philip Griffiths is the Head of Strategic Sales at NetFoundry, where he leads global go-to-market strategy and drives adoption of the company’s cutting-edge, Zero Trust-based networking platform. He co-leads the Cloud Security Alliance Zero Trust Networking Working Group, co-authors multiple industry papers, and is a frequent speaker at conferences, podcasts, and events, including the DoD Zero Trust Symposium.

Philip has more than 15 years of leadership experience working with enterprises, industrial OEMs, and technology partners to accelerate secure digital transformation by replacing legacy connectivity models with agile, identity-first networking. Before joining NetFoundry, he held a variety of strategic roles at Atos IT Services, partnering with C-suite executives to execute large-scale digital transformation initiatives. He lives in Cambridge with his wife and two daughters.

A recognised voice in Zero Trust networking, critical infrastructure/OT, and secure application connectivity, Philip is known for his ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business value. His work emphasises customer-centric innovation, partner ecosystem growth, and the transformation of traditional network strategies into high-velocity, software-defined approaches.

A specialist in information & cyber security, cloud services, enterprise risk, technology risk and business resilience with significant experience in multiple industries and multiple geographies - from in depth engineering to Board-level management. 

Razi Rais is a cybersecurity leader with more than 20 years of expertise in building secure and resilient systems. He has been working with Microsoft for more than a decade, holding positions such as software engineer, architect, and product manager. His current focus at Microsoft is on building cutting-edge cybersecurity products and services. Razi is also a lead author of five books, including Zero Trust Networks, 2E (O'Reilly), Azure Confidential Computing and Zero Trust (O'Reilly) and others. In addition to being an active member of the GIAC Advisory Board, he speaks frequently at international conferences like RSAC and conducts trainings on platforms such as O'Reilly and LinkedIn.

Remy S. Faures is the Global Head, Manager Information Security at the World Bank Group, bringing expertise in information security and risk management.

Within the World Bank Group's global financial environment, Remy has progressed to Global Head, Manager Information Security. Their responsibilities include overseeing global information security strategy and managing international teams. As Senior Information Security Officer, they focused on analyzing security threats and implementing security protocols. Their work supported financial operations within the international finance sector.

Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Remy contributed as a System Engineer at France.fr, managing system infrastructure and ensuring system stability.

Remy holds a Master's degree from Telecom Lille 1, demonstrating applied knowledge of information security principles.

Mrs. Renata C. Spinks-McNeal is the CEO of tech-start-up company, "CyberSec International" whose mission is to provide boutique cybersecurity support to operations as well as consultative support.

She previously served as the Assistant Director/Deputy CIO of the Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) Department in the Headquarters Marine Corps Senior Executive Service (2021-2023) and the Nation's first Cyber Technology Officer at Marine Forces Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER); (2018-2021). 

Her drive to revolutionize cyber, information technology and business transformation is evident in the initiatives she led.  As the Asst IT Director/Deputy CIO of IC4, she also served as the Senior Information Security Officer for the US Marine Corps.  

Prior to her USMC Senior Executive Service appointment, Ms. Spinks' accomplished technical advances using computer forensics and human intelligence to investigate human trafficking and child exploitation; innovated in the US Treasury Big Data Analytics Office of Financial Research and advised the CIO and ACIOs on Web Application Development at the IRS.  Prior to her federal service, she is also a US Army Medical Command Combat Veteran.

Ms. Spinks-McNeal holds a BS in Information Systems, a MS in Technology Management and is pursuing her Doctorate in Cybersecurity.

Her tenure in the Senior Ranks evolved her as the go-to executive and earned her the reputation of getting things done with excellence.  She leads with a People First mindset.  Ms. Spinks-McNeal's love for cyber and pattern of excellence progressively elevates her and is evident in her ascension to Senior Executive now CEO; at an unprecedented pace.

Some of her decorations include nomination for Entrepeneur of Impact 2025, CIO VIEWS 10 Most Influential People in the Business World 2024,  Washington Executive Top Cyber Execs to Watch in 2023; DefenseScoop 50,  2023 GRACEHOPPER Tech in Government Award, 2022 FedScoop 50, 2022 Fed100, 2022 Meritalk Cyber Defenders Award, 2021 Leading for Impact Award,  2021 State of NC HBCU Living Legend Award, and 2020 Stars and Stripes Becoming Everything You Are (BEYA) SES of the Year. 

She is an avid community service STEMINIST, is the founder of the NonProfit Organization --“Rising Footsteps” and gives back to the HBCU community by serving as a Volunteer for Education and Curriculum development.

Rob Maas is Field CTO at ON2IT and a leading Zero Trust Consultant. He has years of practical experience implementing Zero Trust and is known for his passion for IT, Cybersecurity and mountainbiking.

Rob is extremely curious and encourages the same curiosity in others by explaining complex cybersecurity matters in a way that makes them accessible and understandable for everyone.

A lot of people in cybersecurity can talk about Zero Trust. I co-authored the standards that define it — NIST SP 800-207 on Zero Trust Architecture and the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model — and spent 11 years at DHS/CISA turning federal cybersecurity policy into operational reality. Today I advise governments and enterprises globally on doing the same at Zscaler.

Hi, I am a Cyber Security Professional at the Department of Defense. I work to ensure network security by implementing the latest innovative technologies while balancing the need for real time communication and network stability. I am passionate about protecting our networks and ensuring the availability of information while it changes at the speed of light. In the ever changing world of malicious threats, the protection of an individual or an organization's most valuable asset, their data, is my top priority. This is a difficult puzzle to solve; however, I love the challenge. I anticipate completing my Doctor of Science in Cybersecurity specializing in Zero Trust implementation in Cloud Computing in May 2025 from Capitol Technology University. I am always interested in hearing about the latest trends, technologies, and solutions within the IT field, so feel free to contact me if you are looking for a connection.

Mr. Steve Pitcher was the Senior Cyber Survivability Analyst for the Joint Chiefs of Staff J6; Command, Control, Communications, Computers/Cyber (C4/Cyber) Directorate. During Steve’s 21 years in the Air Force and 21 years as a senior government civilian, he has held several positions in cybersecurity, command and control, operations, modeling and
simulation, mission partner information sharing, as senior communicator in Joint/Coalition deployments, and most recently cyber survivability. Mr Pitcher has authored and co-authored three engineering journal articles on cyber survivability. Steve is the leading authority and highly sought after speaker on how senior leaders can define cyber survivability performance expectations that can reduce acquisition, resource and mission risk.

Steve retired in Sept 2025, but continues to find opportunities to help seniors [Commanders
(CEOs), J3s (COOs) and J8s (CFOs)] define their cyber security and resilience performance
expectations, so that Zero Trust, Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Resilient Engineering can
achieve and sustain operationally relevant capabilities. His efforts have helped seniors define
plain language expectations in ways that cyber professionals can decompose into measurable and testable acquisition requirements. This includes understanding of and justification for the level of resources required to prevent, mitigate, recover from and adapt to changes in adversary threat and changes in acceptability of previously accepted vulnerability risks. This has for the first time enabled cyber professionals to state which performance expectations can and cannot be met with the capability options being considered and resourced. It also supports meaningful risk trade space decisions.

Steve holds a B.S. in computer science and math from the University of Puget Sound and an
M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a Certified Information Systems
Security Professional and Certified Ethical Hacker.

Steve leads cloud security at Zelis Healthcare. He started his career through the trial by fire that is MSP life. He pivoted to securing everything from waste facilities and transportation infrastructure to huge financial services organizations and even mixed in some industry analysis in for good measure. He’s passionate about coming up with security solutions that make colleagues happy and bad actors sad.

He helps security leaders and practitioners fully understand their existing security investments, what gaps they may have, and how they can build a path to realizing Zero Trust within their organizations.

Mr. Jewkes has been involved in digital communications and security since 1994. His experience and education include physical and environmental security; access control; application development security; business continuity and disaster recovery planning; cryptography; information security governance and risk management; and legal regulations, investigations and compliance. Mr. Jewkes has worked for both large and small Internet Service Providers, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security in the design, implementation and evaluation of Local and Wide Area Networks.

Mr. Tim Denman works as the Cybersecurity Learning Director at Warfighting Acquisition University (formerly DAU), a position he has since June of 2015. In this role, Mr. Denman leads the geographically dispersed cybersecurity teaching and consulting team. This team consists of 11 full-time faculty and several others that support the development of DAU’s cybersecurity learning products, training efforts, and content consulting. The team’s work products include virtual cyber training ranges that include a basic and intermediate range, defensive cyber operations, aviation systems, industrial control systems, and software assurance. The team also regularly holds a variety of workshops and leads the DoD Cyber Tabletop Facilitator training on a monthly basis. There is also subject matter expertise on the team in areas such as cyber resiliency, software assurance, program protection, and supply chain risk management, along with several additional skills. Mr. Denman worked exclusively for the DoD CIO Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office (PfMO) on a rotational assignment from March 2022 to March of 2023. Even though he officially completed this assignment, the work on Zero Trust has just begun. Given the importance of Zero Trust and Zero Trust training to the DoD, this will be a major focus of the DAU Cyber Team for years to come. The team has developed four online courses and a training plan for the entire DoD that covers basic awareness to highly technical implementation and practitioner courses. Mr. Denman also leads the Annual DoD Virtual Zero Trust Symposium. This symposium includes some of the most influential cybersecurity and zero trust experts in the world and has had over 6,000 attendees over the last 3 years. Tim has been with Warfighting Acquisition University since 2006 and has taught and developed Engineering, Information Technology and Production, Quality, and Manufacturing courses and served as the DAU-South Engineering and Technology Department Chairman for five years. Mr. Denman has an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama, an MBA from Indiana University, and is working on a Doctorate of Strategic Leadership from Liberty University, hoping to graduate in the spring of 2026.

Tim Morrow serves as Situational Awareness Technical Manager in the CERT® Division
Monitoring & Response (M&R) Directorate within the Carnegie Mellon University Software
Engineering Institute (CMU SEI).

Morrow applies architecture-centric approaches to systems-of-systems to analyze and identify
potential risks to improve their cybersecurity. Morrow is the initiative lead for zero trust
efforts at the SEI. Morrow’s experience includes providing acquisition and technical support
for the complete lifecycle of DoD and non-DoD programs. Morrow’s current focus is on using
mission engineering and model-based system engineering approaches to develop mission
context to reason about cybersecurity (zero trust), cyber resilience, and cyber survivability
considerations in weapon systems.

Tom is the President and Founder of the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC), an organization that provides a collaborative forum for government, academia and industry to resolve emerging technology challenges. ATARC also introduces innovative technology from academic research labs to the Federal government and private industry. In June of 2023 the industry association assets of ATARC were sold to the GovExec Media Group.

He also is the CEO and founder of Alethia Labs, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to accelerate the adoption of technology by helping the government collaborate within itself, and other constituencies such as Academia and Industry.

Tom is a two-time recipient of the Federal 100 Awards, a prestigious honor that recognizes government and industry leaders who played pivotal roles in Federal IT.