SecureWorld Houston 2024

Mario Chiock possesses over 37 years of experience in Oil Field operations, IT, Security, Risk, Privacy and Auditing. Prior to his current role as Schlumberger Fellow, Mario was the CISO at Schlumberger where he was responsible for developing the company’s worldwide, long-term cyber security strategy. He is recognized for his leadership and management in all aspects of cybersecurity throughout the company as well as within the community.

Through his vision, he successfully transitioned Schlumberger from legacy firewalls to a more robust infrastructure based on next-generation firewalls. His experience in successfully deploying advanced technologies and approaches also spans Incident Response, Advance Threat Prevention, Digital Right Management to watermark & fingerprint sensitive documents. He also implemented federation services to minimize 3rd party risk and created the extended security team to foster collaboration with other IT groups. Mario is also known for applying his Lean Six Sigma expertise for measuring performance and creating

Outside of Schlumberger, Mario has been an active member of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) for over 20 years; he has held numerous board positions in the Austin, Capital of Texas Chapter, as well as the South Texas Chapter in Houston. He was president of the South Texas Chapter in 2007, bringing in the “Chapter of the Year” award. He continues to serve on the board. Mario is also an active volunteer trainer for Security Certifications such as CISM, CISA & CRISC certifications, and has mentored many successful CSO & CISO in Austin & Houston area. He is also very active with Evanta as speaker and instructor for their CISO Institute. In 2015 he was a speaker for the SPE and API conference and in 2016 he was a panelist at the GEO2016 conference in Bahrain. In 2018 was awarded the South Central Region InfraGard Award for “INMA Leadership!”.

Mario was recognized as one of the top 25 out of more than 10,000 security executives in the ExecRank 2013 Security Executive Rankings, he also won the 2012 Central Information Security Executive (ISE) “People Choice Award”, in 2014 he is a recipient of the CSO40 – 2014 award, named “ISSA Fellow”, won ISC2 Americas Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA) and won the “ISSA Honor Roll” award. In 2017 he received the Infragard Houston award of excellence for the Private-Public Partnership in Cybersecurity. He is an active member of the Houston Security community and gives security talks, training and volunteers his IT security expertise to local non-profit organizations. He is currently a board member of the Houston InfraGard Chapter, has served in Executive & Technical Advisory boards of many security companies such as WatchFire (Now IBM), ISS (now IBM), Qualys, and currently is active on the Palo Alto Networks advisory board, he is also serving in the Google Cloud Platform advisory board and strategic advisor to Onapsis as well as Board member.

Mario has a CISSP, CISM & CISA Certifications, and is past chair for the American Petroleum Institute Information (API) Security Sub-Committee and was involved in the formation of the Oil & Gas ISAC. Co-Author of "Navigating the Digital Age, Second Edition."

Sherry Hunyadi is the Chief Security Architect for Chevron, a role she assumed in May 2021. Sherry leads Chevron’s Cybersecurity Engineering and Innovation team, responsible for strategic direction and technical execution of security-by-design practices across information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). She is a member of Chevron’s CISO Leadership Team, which is responsible for overall cybersecurity efforts to secure and protect Chevron’s information and assets while ensuring cyber resiliency and data privacy.

Prior to joining Chevron, Sherry served in several IT leadership roles. Most notably, she received a Houston CIO ORBIE award nomination for her work as VP, CIO for Layne Christensen Company prior to and during their acquisition by Granite Construction. With more than 20 years of experience in application development, system architecture, infrastructure, integration, and data analytics across a wide range of industries, Sherry brings a passion for stakeholder partnerships that deliver on the promise of true transformation through technology.

Sherry received her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She resides in Spring, Texas with her husband who is an active Warrant Officer in the Texas Army National Guard.

Manoj Tripathi is a seasoned CISO and has decades of experience in security, technology and leadership, across SaaS, Products and Consulting companies. Manoj is passionate about security and technology topics and has presented on security program management strategy and secure development topics at various security conferences. He holds the C|CISO and the CISSP certifications.

Lisa M. Angelo has a law practice focused on cyber liability & data privacy. With over a decade of experience, Lisa is one of the first attorneys in Texas to earn a board certification in privacy law, a credential issued from the International Association of Privacy Law Professionals and recognized by the State Bar of Texas. In addition, Lisa has earned two internationally recognized certifications in privacy: she is a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).

Lisa advises Fortune 500 businesses in big tech, social media, insurance, retail, and other industries on global data privacy, AI regulation, cyber insurance, technology contracts, intellectual property, and other matters related to technology. In recent months, Lisa was invited to serve on the AI Task Force Committee responsible for making recommendations to the Texas State Bar on AI in the practice of law. Lisa also serves as the Chief of the FBI’s InfraGard Houston Chapter – Legal Cross Sector Council, an initiative for the private and public sectors to share information about cyber risk. Previously, Lisa has served as a member of the State Bar Business Law Section’s Blockchain Committee and an elected council member for the State Bar of Texas Computer & Technology Section. Recognized for her professional achievements, Lisa’s peers named her a Texas Super Lawyers’ Rising Star in 2019-2023.

Violet Sullivan leads cyber consulting services at Crum & Forster. She 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.

15+ years of experience in technology consulting in cybersecurity domain and is an evangelist. His core competencies include - designing enterprise security solution framework to proactively protect organization sensitive data, mapping technology to business, and increasing operational IT efficiency. Tom is a trusted advisor to the CxO's.

Michael Gregg is the state of North Dakota’s Chief Information Security Officer. The state CISO is responsible for establishing and leading the strategic direction of cyber security for the state and advising the governor and legislators on key cyber issues.

With Michael’s cyber experience span being over a period of two decades, he has been a pioneer of helping people interested in becoming IT professionals as well as seasoned IT professionals achieve by sharing knowledge by means of authoring over 25 IT cyber security books. He enjoys contributing his time and talents where there is a need to help others learn and grow by holding board, committee, and advisory positions for non-profit organizations. He holds a Bachelors degree, Masters degree, and many security certifications.

Chris Wolski is a distinguished information security expert, former Chief Information Security Officer for a Fortune 1000 company, and now provides fractional information security leadership for Applied Security Convergence. He is currently on the board of ISSA South Texas and is dual-hatted as the Maritime Cross Sector Chief for the Houston InfraGard and Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) Cyber Subcommittee Chair. He is an award-winning transformational information security leader with over two decades of cross-industry cybersecurity expertise. Distinguished track record of architecting comprehensive resilient cybersecurity strategies and building and developing world-class security teams. Fluent in bridging communication gaps, from frontline staff to boardroom dialogues, ensuring robust, organization-wide security alignment.

His rich career includes leading security at CSAT Solutions and the Port of Houston Authority, where he earned a U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Service Citation. His cybersecurity expertise cuts across critical infrastructure, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and government sectors. As a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, he has managed information security operations involving multinational organizations. He supervised an expedited threat communication system for 191 Houston Ship Channel Security District organizations. Chris holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

With more than 20 years of experience in the technology field, Jason has served in numerous leadership role in his career leading to the Chief Operating Officer position with Envision.

Jason takes pride in leading the charge, and in building a culture that is innovative and secure by design for the business and its clients. He brings the strategic insight, industry knowledge, and agility that today’s industry requires to effectively respond to the rapidly changing technology, threat, risk, and business landscapes.

He has been the recipient of several prestigious recognitions and awards in technology and leadership, including being named a “2021 Top Cybersecurity Leader" by Security Magazine partnered with (ISC), Rhode Island’s 40 under Forty Award, and Rhode Island’s Tech 10 Award. He is also a seven-time National Public Technology Institute Solutions Award winner.

Jason currently co-hosts the Business Security Weekly podcast and serves on Congressman Langevin’s (Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus co-chair) Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Tech Collective Board of Directors and the Rhode Island Joint Cyber Task Force.

Debra Brown brings over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity. Starting her career at Xerox and then honing her experience in high-growth startups like Ping Identity and Chainalysis, Debra excels in introducing innovative security technologies to the market. Her dedication extends beyond her professional sphere as she is also a passionate learner, book lover, and a devoted mother and wife in a loving, blended family.

Andrei Tchouvelev, Syxsense Chief Innovation Officer, is a critical thinker, ideator, speaker, evangelist, and an accomplished executive with a breadth of strategic and operational expertise. Andrei has an extensive knowledge of the technology space, and a wealth of market positioning and business acceleration experience. His current role as Chief Innovation Officer focuses on strategic technologies and business transformation. Previously, Andrei collaborated with some of the world’s innovative technology companies and served in a range of leadership positions such as CTO, CIO, Executive board member and advisor

Berris Bramble holds a Computer Science degree, is a founding member of the local InfraGard Technology Cross Sector Council, and regularly volunteers at local cyber conferences and events. He is a 20-year active member in the local InfraGard Houston chapter participating at the Board and leadership levels. He has spent the bulk of his career in Oil & Gas with the longest tenure of 14 years at Saudi Aramco. but have since moved over to the Commercial Real Estate industry. He holds a general class license in Amateur Radio, found a new love for e-biking and is an avid DefCon attendee. He has 23 years of cyber expertise across many disciplines.

Alamdar Hamdani is the 24th United States Attorney (USA) for the Southern District of Texas. Nominated by President Biden in October 2022 and confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2022, Hamdani is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). The district was established in 1902 and encompasses seven divisions with federal district courts in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo. As USA, Hamdani supervises the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest.

Hamdani joined the SDTX in 2014, but has been with the Department of Justice since 2008. As an AUSA with the SDTX, he was primarily responsible for the investigation and prosecution of national security and official corruption crimes. From 2010 to 2014, Hamdani served in the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, holding the position of deputy chief from 2012 to 2014. Prior to that, he was an AUSA in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Prior to his government service, Hamdani was a partner at the law firm of Hamdani & Simon LLP in Texas from 2005 to 2008 where he litigated corporate disputes and civil rights matters. In 2003, he helped form the South Asian Bar Association of North America, holding various leadership positions in the organization, including president from 2007 to 2008. From 2001 to 2005, Hamdani was an associate attorney in the Houston office of the law firm Winstead P.C.

During his tenure as an AUSA with the SDTX, Hamdani was also an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Hamdani received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1999 and his B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993.

Bryan Perkola, CISSP, CISM, is a passionate cybersecurity professional and IT veteran with over thirty years of experience primarily in organizations associated with manufacturing, retail, and finance. Bryan holds multiple bachelor's degrees from the University of Houston in Marketing and Organizational Behavior and Management and has received his master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governor’s University in addition to numerous industry certifications. Bryan’s work experience has primarily been involved with small to mid-sized organizations where he was intimately involved with multiple disciplines such as marketing and human resources that has provided him some unique perspectives and understandings for developing creative and effective security awareness programs that promote a strong cybersecurity culture within the organization.

As the Cyber Practice Leader, Gabrielle Bryant focuses on the strategic and operational vision regarding how cyber exposures will impact our clients as well as researching methodologies to mitigate emerging cyber threats and their intersectionality with other lines of coverage.

Before becoming Cyber Practice Leader, Gabrielle Bryant was a Cybersecurity Advisory Consultant responsible for delivering targeted technical assessments and conducting cybersecurity risk assessments using industry standard frameworks.

Gabrielle held the position as Senior Cyber Broker with Aon’s Cyber Solutions Southwest team, which provided her with a strong foundation in Cyber and Professional Liability risks and was also an Account Executive/Broker with the Aon Ascent team, which focuses on small to medium sized business.

Gabrielle earned a M.Sc. from Saint Mary's University of MN and a Bachelor in Business Administration degree in Risk Management and Insurance from Baylor University.

Devin Krugly is the senior security executive with an ardent focus in establishing and maturing an enterprise security strategy to reduce cyber risk by strengthening attack surface and risk management programs. Devin has over 21 years of experience with numerous Fortune 500 companies as a practitioner and consultant in managing technical and operational risk through informed business decisions. He has built and operated cloud-based risk and application security programs for large and small enterprises. Prior to joining Rapid7 Devin oversaw the Vulnerability & Attack Surface Management portfolio for Deloitte’s Cyber Risk practice. Devin holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston and an MBA from Rice University, as well as active CISSP and CCSP certifications from ISC2.

Victor Mendoza, Principal Solutions Architect for Thales, is a member of the Cloud Protection and Licensing Solutions teams with 15+ years of experience in IT and cybersecurity. Today he works with companies in finance, healthcare, and oil & gas to streamline data security operations, accelerate growth and reduce risk to their most critical data or information from being disclosed, alter or denied access to. Previously, he work for a managed web hosting company before delivering strategic consulting services and leading an encryption services team for an organization with global presence.

Eric Botts is Director, Global Cybersecurity Program and Assistant Professor of International Studies at the University of St. Thomas teaching courses on Cyber Warfare, Cyber Ethics, Geopolitical Risk, Digital Governance, and Introduction to Enterprise Cybersecurity. Mr. Botts is a lecturer at the Women’s Institute of Houston teaching a course entitled The World According to Eric dealing with current events in geopolitics. Mr. Botts received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from St. Mary’s University and Master of Security Management from the University of Houston Downtown. After serving for 31 years in the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer (Santo Domingo, Seoul, Dublin, and Nassau), Assistant Director of the Houston Passport Agency and an Information Systems Security Officer. During his federal career he served as Program Chairman of the Gulf Coast Federal Safety Council, and as a member of the Federal Executive Board. Mr. Botts teaching experience includes the University of Houston Downtown for courses in cybersecurity and organizational resilience in the Masters of Security Management Program.

Mr. Botts retired and went to work in the private sector. In the private sector Mr. Botts worked as a security project manager and consultant for Swailes & Co. Inc. specializing in cyber security, risk management, business continuity, due diligence, travel security, and investigations until 2020. Mr. Botts is a founding board member of the Foreign Policy Alliance and has spoken on foreign policy issues to civic groups, colleges, and the media. In the cyber security community, he sits on the Secure World Advisory Council, is a member of the Internet Governance Forum USA. He authored and published two novels Conversations with An Alien (2004) and The Circle - Portrait of an American Family (2015).

Reanna Schultz is from Kansas City, MO, and attended the University of Central Missouri (UCM). She graduated in 2018 with her Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity: Secure Software Development and in 2020 for Master of Science in Cybersecurity: Information Assurance. While being in the industry, Reanna has been exposed to numerous SANS hosted classes. Reanna volunteers as a National Cyber League coach and provides her industry expertise by doing guest speaker talks for numerous colleges and high schools across the Midwest to STEM students. Reanna currently works as a Team Lead at Garmin and directly reports out of their SOC.

Akshit Goel is a Cybersecurity Architect at SLB where he leads a team of security engineers to deliver secure software solutions to the Energy industry. He helps the teams design, build, and test security solutions and tools. His focus areas are Application Security, Cloud Security, and DevSecOps. He is an automation enthusiast and pursues the mission of implementing DevSecOps and automated security testing across the organization. He assists software development teams in threat assessment, cyber risk evaluation, and reduction and vulnerability management.

Gabriel Nwajiaku is a seasoned cybersecurity expert, army veteran, and community leader. Holding a diverse array of certifications including CISM, PMP, Security+, and CySA+, Gabriel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. His journey began in the military, where he honed his skills in strategic planning and risk management, serving his country with distinction.

After transitioning from the military, Gabriel continued his pursuit of excellence in cybersecurity, earning multiple certifications to further solidify his expertise. His commitment to continuous learning and professional development has enabled him to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats and challenges.

In addition to his impressive professional achievements, Gabriel is also deeply engaged in his community. As the Commissioner of the City of Austin's Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission, he plays a vital role in shaping policies and initiatives that promote digital inclusion and access to technology for all residents.

With a passion for empowering individuals and organizations to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity, Gabriel brings a unique perspective to the table. His insights into establishing purpose and direction in this nebulous terrain are sure to inspire and enlighten audiences at the conference.

Bill Lawrence, Chief Delivery Officer, ITEGRITI (CISSP, MS International Relations, MS Military Science, BS Computer Science), is a cybersecurity executive who previously served as the NERC VP/CSO and Senior Director of the E-ISAC. He led 40 employees in a 24/7 information sharing and analysis center to defend the North American electric grid. He has also served as a CISO for a SaaS risk assessment company protecting the data of several top oil and gas clients, and as a Commander in the U.S. Navy flying F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Super Hornets off aircraft carriers in combat. Over his career, he greatly expanded international grid security exercises and conferences and earned awards as a CISO as well as a leader and instructor in the U.S. Navy. Bill specializes in cybersecurity, leadership, client trust, AI, and critical infrastructure. He serves on the Houston Innovation Advisory Council, is a member of InfraGard, and helps lead the Houston Chapter of Control System Cyber Security Alliance International [(CS)2AI].

IT Manager for AMNI International Petroleum, with over 15 years of experience in leading technical teams and leading strategic IT initiatives. With a robust background in technical architecture and design, Andreea has consistently delivered innovative solutions to enhance operational efficiency and align IT with business objectives.

Holding a certificate from MIT in Strategic Technology Roadmapping and Innovation, Andreea brings a strategic mindset to her leadership role, ensuring that IT initiatives are in sync with organizational goals.

Throughout her career, she has successfully overseen the overhaul of IT infrastructure for multiple clients across various industries, resulting in significant improvements in data processing time and service delivery costs.

Manoj Tripathi is a seasoned CISO and has decades of experience in security, technology and leadership, across SaaS, Products and Consulting companies. Manoj is passionate about security and technology topics and has presented on security program management strategy and secure development topics at various security conferences. He holds the C|CISO and the CISSP certifications.