SecureWorld AI Virtual Conference 2023

Ms. Haywood brings a highly diverse skill set to businesses. For more than 17 years, prior to moving into Security, she specialized in Human Resources, Business Development, Risk Strategy, Contracts Management, and Program Audit. Combined with her eight years in Security Governance, Risk & Compliance, she is considered a multi-talented leader, supporting Fortune 500 companies and government organizations in an array of industries (e.g., Healthcare, Education, Financial, Federal, Technology). Ms. Haywood's knowledge and experience of security frameworks, governance standards (such as NIST 800-53, SOC1/2 Type 2, ISO 27001:2013, HIPPA-HITECH, PCI), and risk methodologies have led to her success in program development, management, and audits for companies. This applied skillset has resulted in a savings of more than $1.1 million in potential contract losses. Additionally, she’s designed and developed a Medical Device Cybersecurity program for one of the largest Healthcare organizations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region of Texas. Ms. Haywood holds a certificate as a Cyber Security Practitioner.

Myriah Jaworski is a Member, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity, at Clark Hill Law. She represents clients in data breach actions, technology disputes, and in the defense of consumer class actions and related regulatory investigations stemming from alleged privacy torts and violations of the TCPA, BIPA, IRPA, and other state and federal privacy laws. Myriah also works with clients to devise and implement privacy and security compliance programs and to evaluate and implement new technologies, including enterprise-wide AI and machine learning tools. She is also been recognized as a Super Lawyer® for her Civil Litigation practice in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Thomas Scott (Tom) is the Executive Director of the South Carolina Cybersecurity Association and Foundation. As the inaugural Director of the SC Cyber Consortium, he has been a key leader in the cyber education, cyber workforce development, and cyber protection efforts in both South Carolina and across the Nation. He is the CEO of CyberSherpas, a premier cybersecurity consulting firm.

With over 30 years of cybersecurity experience in both Florida and South Carolina, Tom has developed a wealth of knowledge and experience in protecting critical infrastructure and cyber assets. He currently holds certifications in information security, information auditing, security leadership, critical infrastructure protection, and project management – he is also recognized a FEMA Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) Practitioner.

Tom is a member of the FBI’s InfraGard program and serves as an advisory board member for the Dutch Fork High School Cyber program. He has actively participated as a member of the MS-ISAC’s Executive Committee as well as the USC School of Law Cybersecurity Task Force. Tom currently serves the academic community through board service to the Industry Advisory Board for the USC Integrated IT program, and at Florence-Darlington Tech and Aiken Tech

Jay Chetty is a seasoned Cloud Security Architect, responsible for overseeing the end-to-end security of the Intel Developer Cloud, a service offering from Intel. His experience spans multiple projects, where he has skillfully navigated the complexities of cloud-based systems to optimize security. His unwavering dedication and insightful strategies have been pivotal to their strong security architecture. Jay is an accomplished endurance athlete, reveling in the serenity offered by long-distance running, cycling, and hiking. His passion for pushing physical boundaries mirrors his tenacity in securing complex digital landscapes.

Tom Brennan is the CIO of the national law firm Mandelbaum Barrett PC and leads the U.S. arm of CREST International. In this role, he works with government and commercial organizations to optimize the value of CREST as a cybersecurity accreditation body and industry standards advocate, particularly for companies in the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s 16 critical infrastructure sectors which are vital to U.S. security, national economy, and public health and safety. As CREST USA Chairman, Brennan spearheads strategic plans for CREST USA’s organizational growth while also serving as an industry evangelist and educator on the value of using accredited cybersecurity products and professionals to improve consumer privacy, security, and protection worldwide.

As a proud U.S. Marine veteran, Brennan became involved with CREST International in 2016 while serving the Global Board of Directors for the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). Seeing similar goals, he became more active in the CREST organization and was nominated to lead the organization’s U.S. Advisory in 2019. Over his career, Brennan has amassed security expertise across the cybersecurity spectrum, including penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, application security, threat intelligence, and more. In addition to being CREST USA Chairman, he is the Chief Information Officer of the national law firm Mandelbaum Barrett, overseeing critical infrastructure, privacy, and security operations. He is also an Advisory Board Member of the information services advisory Gerson Lehrman Group, a Cyber Fellows Advisory Council Member, a Member of the Information Technology Advisory Committee of the County College of Morris, a Senior Advisor and Industry Advisory Board Member of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a Cyber Fellows Advisory Council Member of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Jake is a technology leader with significant experience in funding rounds, delivering security transformation and building best in class security functions.

Passionate, innovative & pragmatic with an understanding of what makes businesses tick and how to take them from start up or growth phase to enterprise level security capabilities, opening doors to new customers and opportunities along the way.

After graduating from college, Juan joined numerous startups in the Los Angeles area, specifically focusing on the early stages of what we now know as SEO. During that time, Juan established himself as a seasoned engineer and learned the ins-and-outs of running a company.

In 2011, a large eCommerce company approached Juan, and he and his family relocated to Salt Lake City. Juan quickly began managing multiple teams and spearheading important projects, such as the company’s first ever public API and their Bitcoin integration. Ultimately, Juan was promoted to Manager and Architect of Internal Infrastructure teams before his departure to begin his entrepreneurial journey.

Juan went on to co-found a peer-to-peer recreational vehicles rental platform. The venture proved to be exactly what Juan had been looking for; an opportunity to grow a business from the ground up. The experience permitted him to personally dive into sales, marketing, customer service and most importantly analyzing the technology he had developed. After having dedicated a year to this work, he felt that the enterprise space was a better fit for his talents, so he moved on to start Whistic.

Juan lives in Sandy, Utah, with his wife and kids. He doesn't believe in "down time," so if he isn't coaching his son's robotics team or children's soccer teams, he is mastering the art of grilling.

As part of the SureCloud cyber services division's leadership team, Nick is responsible for developing and executing the strategy for the cyber testing team. Along with the responsibility for developing tech-led consulting service propositions that combine our expertise, the SureCloud platform and technology. Additionally, Nick oversees and drives several commercial relationships with key clients. Previously, Nick has held technical delivery and leadership positions within a number of global consulting services organizations.

Violet Sullivan works with insurance carriers, trade associations, and individual business clients from around the world providing expert guidance on cybersecurity threat management and response. She represents Crum & Forster within the legal, insurance, and risk management channels to develop long-term relationships, recurring revenue, and new business growth. Ms. Sullivan is a licensed attorney in Texas and Pennsylvania and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), with her JD and MBA degrees from Baylor University. In addition to her full-time role, Violet serves as a professor of Cybersecurity & Privacy Law for Baylor Law School’s LL.M. Degree in Litigation Management, the first of its kind nationwide. Her diverse practice experience at both the individual and policy levels has prepared her for developing new tools and approaches to solving what is fast-becoming a pervasive and costly challenge in modern industry: how to respond to a cybersecurity incident.

Early in her career, Violet worked on the incident responses for some of the largest and most notable data breaches to date, including: Home Depot, Sony, and Anthem. Her experience in managing scaled breach responses led to her expertise and proficiency in proactively preparing organizations for cyber incidents. In the past eight years, she has facilitated over 450 cyber incident simulations (tabletops) for public and private sector companies, including many Fortune 100 companies.

As a cybersecurity and privacy attorney, Violet provides consulting services to respond to the needs of various cybersecurity programs. She reviews and develops customized incident response plans to ensure organizations are prepared to respond efficiently and effectively to a data breach. Violet also helps improve internal coordination by facilitating customized tabletop simulations focused on "pressure-testing" an organization's incident response procedures and protocols. Each of these customer-facing services mentioned has been built and developed for the purpose of creating long-standing relationships that turn to Violet for guidance, referrals, questions, and future projects.

As a cybersecurity and privacy professor, Violet developed the entire curriculum for an innovative course on cybersecurity and privacy law for licensed attorneys working toward their LL.M. degree. The specific focus on litigation management has made Sullivan’s course and her lecture series uniquely valuable to experts across the United States.

Robert Loy is the executive director of academic success and innovation at Grand Canyon University. After 18 years in technology roles as a programmer and IT leader and 20 years in education at the Maricopa Colleges, Robert joined Grand Canyon to reshape the technology training and learning landscape and help provide marketable technology skills to people looking to change careers or enhance technology knowledge. Robert Loy's teaching philosophy prioritizes personalized career pathways for students. He creates an inclusive and engaging learning environment using technology and hands-on projects. Robert provides students with opportunities for exploration and practical experience and emphasizes continuous learning and professional development. Mr. Loy is in the dissertation phase of his Ph.D. at Grand Canyon University.

Stephen Dougherty has over a decade of investigative experience. His career as a Financial Fraud Investigator in support of the federal government has played a pivotal role in criminal investigations, surrounding cyber-enabled financial crime, money laundering, human trafficking, identity theft, healthcare fraud, embezzlement, tax/government program fraud, dark web crimes, among others. Stephen’s main area of expertise is combatting money laundering in all its forms. Aside from this, Stephen has been proactive in identifying new and future trends in the world of financial crime. Such trends include the cyber security nexus of financial crimes and its ever-growing relationship in major financial crimes such as Business Email Compromise and the rise of the dark web and the use of virtual currency as a vehicle for facilitation of financial crimes. Stephen has been a leader and a mentor to other investigators teaching them how to uncover fraud internally and externally. Stephen is currently an investigator contracted to the U.S. Secret Service’s Global Investigative Operations Center (GIOC) in Washington D.C.

Cedric Leighton is a CNN Military Analyst and a retired United States Air Force Colonel. On CNN, he has provided incisive commentaries on the Israel-Hamas War, the War in Ukraine, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and numerous other conflicts around the world. His analysis has been seen by millions of viewers around the world and provided much needed context to some of the most pressing national security issues of our time. As a U.S. Air Force officer, Colonel Leighton served at U.S. Special Operations Command, the Joint Staff, and the National Security Agency, where he helped train the nation's cyber warriors. A Middle East combat veteran, he is the recipient of numerous military awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star. After serving 26 years as a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer, Col. Leighton founded a strategic risk consultancy and became the co-founder of CYFORIX, where he advises multinational businesses on developing better cyber strategies designed to reduce risk and unpredictability.

VJ Viswanathan is a seasoned technology executive recognized and awarded for innovation, business capability transformation, and thoughtful mentorship. Most recently, VJ is the founding partner at CYFORIX, a global cybersecurity research, advisory, and strategic consulting firm delivering solutions to public and private sectors. He also serves as the CEO at TORQE, a specialized advisory firm focused on analytics, automation, and convergent technologies. VJ is the co-host of ELEVATEINTEL, a podcast series at the nexus of technology, social, and defense.

With more than 25 years of pioneering enterprise technology, cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance & risk management experience, VJ has a detailed track record of designing, implementing, and leading highly successful programs, products, and services at multinational Fortune 100 brands spanning CPG, telecom, media, supply chain, healthcare, and finance segments. As a strategic thought leader, VJ has delivered the first of its kind "Supply Chain Security" & “Omni-channel Risk Management” frameworks. As a published author and featured keynote speaker at global industry events, he approaches disruptive digital paradigms with innovation, creativity, and active collaboration with his key industry peers, researchers, national & international law enforcement, and defense groups.

VJ is an active mentor at various incubators and accelerators groups, serves as an advisory board member for growth stage companies. As a strategic adviser to VC & PE firms, he specializes in developing market analysis, competitive product road maps, and guides in opportunity mapping. As a board member and subject matter advisor to CEOs and corporate directors, VJ evaluates and audits enterprise technology and cybersecurity programs for veracity and operational effectiveness.

VJ is passionate about animal rights and giving back to the technology and security industry. He has created a rescue and foster care group for large breed dogs. He is actively engaged with academic institutions and purpose-driven professional groups like Minorities in Cyber Security, where he serves as a board member and chair of mentorship programs to develop the next generation talent through coaching and facilitating scholarships for technology and cybersecurity education.