SecureWorld Kansas City 2026

Rodney Beard, CISSP, is a cybersecurity consultant with Cyber Risk Opportunities LLC, bringing more than 20 years of experience protecting organizations across defense, government, and financial services sectors.

Most recently, Rodney served as Information Security Officer at Rivermark Community Credit Union, a $2B institution in Oregon, where he built and led the enterprise security program for seven years. His responsibilities included penetration testing, security architecture, incident response, vendor risk management, and developing security awareness training for employees.

Prior to financial services, Rodney spent eight years as an IT Specialist with the U.S. Army at White Sands Missile Range, where he served as Information Management Officer responsible for IT security across 22 regional locations and 250 employees. He implemented security policies aligned with NIST, Federal, and DoD standards while managing a program portfolio valued at $2.5 million.

Rodney has also taught technology courses as an Adjunct Instructor at Vista College, preparing students for CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications.

He holds the CISSP certification, CompTIA Security+, Network+, and A+, along with multiple Microsoft certifications. Rodney is based in Casper, Wyoming, and works remotely with clients nationwide.

RJ Pericola is the Director of Infrastructure at EnterpriseKC, where he leads the management of the organization’s infrastructure and works closely with the application platform teams. Before joining EnterpriseKC, RJ worked at Cerner Corporation supporting Sales Operations software applications and later at Garmin as a Project Manager on the Aviation Software team, where he led ongoing software releases in collaboration with a large engineering team. RJ is passionate about EnterpriseKC’s role as a business-led, systems-driven “think and do” tank focused on enterprise development, innovation, and job growth in high-value, high-opportunity industry clusters. The organization works closely with business, academia, and government partners to understand regional dynamics and advance strategies that accelerate enterprise growth and economic prosperity across Kansas and Western Missouri.

Mr. Steven M. Graves is the President of Cornerstone Integration, holding a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the Naval Academy and a Master of Science (MS) in Information Technology Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Cornerstone Integration, Inc. specializes in systems integration and the development of secure, recoverable communications and custom computing platforms. Founded in 2005 by Mr. Graves, Cornerstone Integration has successfully delivered numerous projects for the Department of War (DoW), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Intelligence Community (IC). The company’s Technology Integration Lab (TIL), located in KU Innovation Park in Lawrence, KS, serves as a collaborative space for college interns focused on rapid prototyping.

Notable achievements include the development of a new training platform designed to educate students on secure system design and the integration and testing of emerging technologies. Use cases encompass embedding security and AI in advanced manufacturing, critical infrastructure, low-latency RF communications, drones, and agricultural cybersecurity.

Bill Guyer is a seasoned veteran of the IT security battle. With more than 30 years experience at all levels of technology support and strategy, Bill brings a comprehensive, expert, and people focused point of view to the industry. Bill has achieved multiple certifications including CISSP, ITIL, and PMP, and has experience applying the concepts associated in real-world scenarios. Bill is currently the CISO for RSi RCM in Columbia, SC. He is also a board member of the Kansas City Chapter of ISC2, and active in mentoring new security professionals.

Randy Raw is Chief Information Security Officer at Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia, Missouri. He has more than 25 years of experience in both public entities and private industry, having built several Information Security programs from the ground up. He is a proponent of risk-based, layered security measures that utilize both preventative and detective approaches to achieve the right solution for the organization. Randy is a CISSP and is active in the Central Missouri InfoSec community. He has spoken at SecureWorld on many technical topics and turns his focus towards helping others move from the technical trenches to a leadership role.

Josh Behnke is the Manager of Pre-Sales Engineering at Concentric AI. With a career spanning over three decades, Josh offers a rare perspective gained from sitting on both sides of the table—serving as a veteran security practitioner and a strategic leader at industry giants like CrowdStrike, Proofpoint, and GuidePoint Security.

Before moving into the vendor space, Josh spent more than 20 years working in various security roles, holding titles such as Director of IT and Information Security Officer, giving him a deep, first-hand understanding of the operational challenges CISOs face today. When he’s not securing the data landscape, you can find him in the great outdoors hunting or catching the latest superhero flick.

Rodney Beard, CISSP, is a cybersecurity consultant with Cyber Risk Opportunities LLC, bringing more than 20 years of experience protecting organizations across defense, government, and financial services sectors.

Most recently, Rodney served as Information Security Officer at Rivermark Community Credit Union, a $2B institution in Oregon, where he built and led the enterprise security program for seven years. His responsibilities included penetration testing, security architecture, incident response, vendor risk management, and developing security awareness training for employees.

Prior to financial services, Rodney spent eight years as an IT Specialist with the U.S. Army at White Sands Missile Range, where he served as Information Management Officer responsible for IT security across 22 regional locations and 250 employees. He implemented security policies aligned with NIST, Federal, and DoD standards while managing a program portfolio valued at $2.5 million.

Rodney has also taught technology courses as an Adjunct Instructor at Vista College, preparing students for CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications.

He holds the CISSP certification, CompTIA Security+, Network+, and A+, along with multiple Microsoft certifications. Rodney is based in Casper, Wyoming, and works remotely with clients nationwide.

Ofir is Co-Founder and CPO of Bloom Security, where he leads product strategy for the endpoint security platform built to govern AI tools, coding agents, and the modern software supply chain across enterprise endpoints. Ofir led the Cortex Cloud Security research group at Palo Alto Networks, with a track record of uncovering critical vulnerabilities across AI services, cloud infrastructure, and identity and data security - driving their remediation at scale. Before that, he headed the research group at Dig Security (acquired by PANW), served as a Senior Security Researcher at XM Cyber, and began his career in the Mamram Unit.

With three decades of experience at the intersection of cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and technical sales, Matthew has consistently shown a rare ability to see the world not as it is, but as it could be. He's a veteran in the truest sense, a veteran who has helped companies and customers save millions by deploying innovative fraud solutions and building out entirely new market strategies where others saw only risk.

Matthew's early passion for computers and game theory began with setting up computers at trade shows and managing an ISP while still in university. Raised across various countries, including Japan and Italy, as the child of government intelligence officers, he combined global knowledge with his tech interests. With more than 30 years of experience, he has driven the success of multiple startups by integrating innovative technology. A skilled linguist, former National Guardsman, and the youngest candidate for Governor of Louisiana, Matthew excels in diplomacy, startup maturation, and optimizing business strategies.
Specialties: diplomacy, startup growth, corporate structure, solutions architecture, and fraud detection.

Mark Wilcox is a senior cybersecurity and risk executive with deep experience advising executive management and boards on cyber risk governance, regulatory compliance, artificial intelligence, and enterprise resilience within highly regulated environments. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for a Capital Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries, where he is responsible for aligning cybersecurity and privacy strategy with business objectives, regulatory expectations, and board-level risk oversight.

Over his career, Mr. Wilcox has led institution-wide cybersecurity, technology risk, and governance programs supporting banking, financial services, and other oversight-intensive industries. His experience includes information security, third-party risk, incident response, business continuity, data protection, and regulatory examinations, with regular engagement across Audit, Risk, and Executive Committees.

Mr. Wilcox has extensive experience operating under GLBA, FFIEC, SOX, PCI DSS, and privacy regimes, and advising on control effectiveness, risk acceptance, and regulatory readiness—particularly where cybersecurity directly intersects with financial, operational, and reputational risk.

In addition to his executive leadership responsibilities, Mr. Wilcox brings a governance-oriented perspective to cybersecurity, emphasizing oversight, accountability, and independence of control functions rather than day-to-day operations.

Mr. Wilcox holds multiple certifications including CISSP-ISSMP, PMP, CGRC and serves on the Advisory Board for Strategic Artificial Intelligence at Avila University.

Reanna Schultz, from Kansas City, MO, holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Cybersecurity. With over six years of professional experience, Reanna has contributed to various corporate environments, leveraging her expertise to strengthen cybersecurity practices.

Throughout her career, Reanna has worn many hats, including roles in Endpoint Security Engineering, Detection Engineering, and leading a Security Operations Center (SOC) team. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Reanna serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and is also an entrepreneur.

Reanna is the founder of CyberSpeak Labs, a platform dedicated to fostering community engagement through collaboration. She hosts the podcast Defenders in Lab Coats, where she delves into cyber threats and occasionally invites passionate guests to share their insights.
Driven by her passion for cybersecurity, Reanna frequently travels to speak at events, sharing her industry knowledge and empowering others to improve their organizations' cybersecurity practices.

Zach is a seasoned IT executive with a distinguished career spanning strategic IT management, cybersecurity, risk mitigation, and budget oversight. As the AVP IT and CISO for a private higher education institution, Zach has orchestrated transformative initiatives that have fortified the institution's cybersecurity landscape while driving strategic growth. His leadership in negotiating vendor contracts, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and chairing the Enterprise Risk Management Committee has resulted in substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies.

With a focus on aligning IT strategies with organizational goals, Zach has led successful cloud migrations, implemented robust cybersecurity measures, and established a culture of transparency and collaboration. His expertise extends to compliance with GLBA and FERPA regulations, managing cybersecurity training programs, and optimizing network infrastructure. Zach's passion for innovation, user-centric approach, and ability to build cross-functional teams have been instrumental in driving organizational success, enhancing cybersecurity defenses, and positioning the institution as a leader in health education and operational excellence.

Zach is a 2X recipient of Cyber Defense Magazine’s Top Global CISOs, was named 40 Under 40 Security Leaders by CDO Magazine, and was St. Louis Non-Profit CISO of the Year. He’s a recent graduate of the FBI CISO Academy. Zach provides his industry expertise to others by speaking at conferences, webinars, and universities throughout the country.

Reanna Schultz, from Kansas City, MO, holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Cybersecurity. With over six years of professional experience, Reanna has contributed to various corporate environments, leveraging her expertise to strengthen cybersecurity practices.

Throughout her career, Reanna has worn many hats, including roles in Endpoint Security Engineering, Detection Engineering, and leading a Security Operations Center (SOC) team. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Reanna serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and is also an entrepreneur.

Reanna is the founder of CyberSpeak Labs, a platform dedicated to fostering community engagement through collaboration. She hosts the podcast Defenders in Lab Coats, where she delves into cyber threats and occasionally invites passionate guests to share their insights.
Driven by her passion for cybersecurity, Reanna frequently travels to speak at events, sharing her industry knowledge and empowering others to improve their organizations' cybersecurity practices.

Venkatesh Gopal is a Security Engineer on Meta's Client Platform Engineering (CPE) Security team, where he focuses on a broad range of endpoint security challenges. Over the past three years, he has led zero trust initiatives as part of Meta's authentication and authorization workflows across internal identity and access management systems. He spearheaded the deployment of cryptographic attestation across various operating systems across Meta's internal employee device fleet, and collaborates with the industry to advance hardware-backed device attestation standards. Prior to this, he was employed at Uber ATG and Aurora, specializing in security for autonomous vehicle systems, and at Sophos, where his work concentrated on the development of next-generation firewalls.

Russ Sanderlin is a seasoned cybersecurity strategist with 20+ years of experience helping global organizations advance their vulnerability and exposure management programs. As a Director and VMDR Subject Matter Expert at Qualys, he bridges technical depth with customer and product leadership to drive operational maturity and deliver meaningful security outcomes. He has led enterprise VM and AppSec programs, guided Fortune 100 organizations, and shaped risk based approaches across hybrid environments.

Eric Agan is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Agan Security, where he helps organizations reduce risk and operate with operational discipline. With over 30 years of experience across financial services, healthcare, government, and professional sports, Eric is an expert in navigating complex regulatory environments.

Through Agan Security, he provides high-impact services including AI Compliance & Safety, Fractional CISO leadership, and NIST CSF 2.0 assessments. His firm also specializes in Technical Debt Management, Social Engineering and Corporate Espionage Defense, and GRC Process Optimization to eliminate operational waste while meeting CMMC, HIPAA, and GDPR obligations.

Eric holds CISSP, CISA, CRISC, and LEAN Six Sigma Green Belt certifications and serves as President of the ISC2 Kansas City Chapter.

Kevin Augspurger is an accomplished IT professional with more than 18 years’ experience in the industry, nine of which have been in the telecommunications field. In his career, Kevin specializes in networking, IT security, server/cloud infrastructure, IT management, and facilities/real estate. Additionally, Kevin holds certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing + Switching; CCNA Security; and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA).

Prior to the start of his career, Kevin studied Computer Science at the University of Kentucky and earned a BA in Film from University of Kansas. Outside of work, Kevin enjoys building arcade systems, volleyball, watching movies, and being a dad.

Joshua Brown is a CyberSecurity executive with over 25 years of experience building and transforming security programs across multiple companies. As the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Spektrum Labs, Joshua is shepherding the product development of Spektrum Resilience, transforming the relationship between SecOps, resilience, and compliance. Prior to that, he founded Digital Defense Consulting and was the Global CISO of H&R Block.

He has been a mentor for the SANS Institute and a frequent author and speaker on myriad information security topics, including speaking at the InfoSec World conference, the ISC2 World Congress, and being published in Security Current magazine and Enterprise Security magazine. Joshua was named a Top Global CISO by Cyber Defense Magazine in 2023; a Top 10 CISO by Enterprise Security Magazine in 2023; and a Top 100 CISO by Security Currents in 2024.

Reanna Schultz, from Kansas City, MO, holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Cybersecurity. With over six years of professional experience, Reanna has contributed to various corporate environments, leveraging her expertise to strengthen cybersecurity practices.

Throughout her career, Reanna has worn many hats, including roles in Endpoint Security Engineering, Detection Engineering, and leading a Security Operations Center (SOC) team. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Reanna serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and is also an entrepreneur.

Reanna is the founder of CyberSpeak Labs, a platform dedicated to fostering community engagement through collaboration. She hosts the podcast Defenders in Lab Coats, where she delves into cyber threats and occasionally invites passionate guests to share their insights.
Driven by her passion for cybersecurity, Reanna frequently travels to speak at events, sharing her industry knowledge and empowering others to improve their organizations' cybersecurity practices.

Naeem Babri is a cyber risk and governance professional with extensive experience supporting organizations in risk assessment, compliance, and executive-level decision support. Known for his ability to translate complex risk information into clear, actionable insight, Naeem works closely with leadership teams to strengthen data protection, operational resilience, and business continuity in evolving threat environments.

He holds a Master of Science in Computer Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science, grounding his advisory work in both technical rigor and analytical problem-solving. Naeem’s professional background includes information risk management, risk scoring and reporting, audit and compliance support, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning, with a strong emphasis on communication and stakeholder trust.

Beyond his advisory work, Naeem is a long-standing leader in the cybersecurity community. He has served as President of the Information Systems Security Association – Greater Kansas City Chapter (ISSA-KC) since 2014, where he provides strategic and operational leadership, guides chapter programming, and collaborates with industry partners, sponsors, and media to advance cybersecurity education and engagement. He also serves as Vice President of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) Kansas City, part of a global organization with a presence across Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

Naeem brings a human-centered perspective to cybersecurity, focusing on how communication, trust, and decision-making shape real-world outcomes. Outside of his professional work, he is an avid marathon runner and a patron of the arts, interests that reflect the discipline, endurance, and creativity he brings to leadership and risk governance.

Dr. Cheryl Cooper helps managing partners and executive leaders protect what matters most: client trust, firm reputation, and revenue. A Cyber Resilience and GRC Strategist, Fractional CISO for managing partners and law firms, TEDx Speaker, author, and United States Navy Veteran, she is known for translating complex cyber risk into clear, defensible leadership decisions, without fear tactics or technical jargon.

With more than two decades of experience across Fortune 100 enterprises, the U.S. Navy, and executive security leadership, Dr. Cooper has advised organizations where cyber incidents carry legal, financial, and reputational consequences. Her background includes serving as a Business Information Security Officer supporting Legal, HR, and Finance functions, giving her a rare, leadership-level perspective at the intersection of governance, liability, and operational resilience.

Dr. Cooper is a higher education cybersecurity adjunct professor and President of the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) Kansas City Metroplex Affiliate, part of a global organization advancing cybersecurity leadership across industry, government, and academia. She is also the creator of the Cyber Resilience Compass™, a plain-language framework that helps leaders understand what puts their organizations at risk, what matters most right now, and which decisions leadership, not IT, must own. A core part of her work includes short executive engagements that clarify risk priorities, decision ownership, and next steps long before a crisis forces the conversation. Her keynote presentations combine executive storytelling with practical guidance, helping audiences recognize how human behavior, trust, and urgency are exploited long before technology fails.

Sean Mahoney is a cybersecurity executive and Information Security Officer at Netswitch Technology Management who helps organizations govern cyber and AI risk as a business priority, not just a technical function. With more than two decades of executive leadership experience and over ten years in security leadership, Sean is known for translating risk, compliance, and emerging technology exposure into measurable business outcomes.

Before entering cybersecurity, Sean spent 30 years in global supply chain and executive management, serving as an EVP for an international manufacturing and distribution company with operations across North America. In that role, he was responsible for enterprise risk oversight, operational resilience, and large-scale digital transformation, experience that now informs his pragmatic, business-first approach to cybersecurity and AI governance.

A CISM-certified executive, Sean has designed and led risk and compliance programs aligned with ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, FINRA, CMMC, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. His work has delivered tangible results, including accelerated audit readiness, significant reductions in detection and response times, and risk remediation efforts that enabled multimillion-dollar contract wins.

Sean regularly advises executive teams and boards on responsible AI adoption, governance controls, and model risk management. He is also the publisher of the Cyber Risk Governance Insights newsletter and co-host of the Cybersecurity Chronicles podcast, where he bridges the gap between boards, executives, auditors, and technologists by framing cyber risk as a leadership and governance issue first.

Bill spent a couple of decades pretending to be someone else as a stage actor and radio personality. After making the shift from entertainer to IT generalist, Bill gravitated toward security through compliance and federal regulatory obligations. For nearly 28 years, Bill has obtained dozens of worthwhile certifications, worked in every aspect of IT from entry level Help Desk to CISO and almost every stop along the way. If it fits in the IT, IT Security, GRC bucket, Bill has probably touched it. Recently, more time has been spent refreshing compliance programs, finding products and processes that address gaps and inconsistencies, along with pushing slippery rocks up slippery hills on windy days.

Travis Nichols is a seasoned leader in Information Security at Shelter Insurance, where he spearheads the safeguarding the organization’s digital assets. With a robust background in software development, cybersecurity, and management, Travis has consistently demonstrated his commitment to excellence and innovation. His journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and dedication to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning, both within his team and the broader community. Travis’s leadership philosophy centers on growth, value creation, and enhancing the lives of those around him, including his wife and two grown children. Through his strategic vision and passion for leadership, Travis continues to drive impactful change and inspire those he leads. One of his favorite questions to ask is: “How can I help you be your best?”