SecureWorld Midwest Virtual Conference 2023

Rebecca Herold has more than 30 years of security, privacy, and compliance experience. She is founder of The Privacy Professor Consultancy (2004) and of Privacy & Security Brainiacs SaaS services (2021) and has helped hundreds of clients throughout the years. Rebecca has been a subject matter expert (SME) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a wide range of projects since 2009, including: seven and a half years leading the smart grid privacy standards creation initiative, and co-authoring those informative references and standards; two years being a co-author of and a SME member of the team that created the Privacy Framework (PF) and associated documents; and three years as a SME team member, and co-author of the Internet of Things (IoT) technical and non-technical standards and associated informative references; and performing throughout the years proof of concept (PoC) tests for a variety of technologies, such as field electricity solar inverters, PMU reclosers, and associated sensors. Rebecca has served as an expert witness for cases covering HIPAA, privacy compliance, criminals using IoT devices to track their victims, stolen personal data of retirement housing residents, tracking apps and website users via Meta Pixels and other tracking tech, and social engineering using AI. Rebecca has authored 22 books, and was adjunct professor for nine and a half years for the Norwich University MSISA program. Since early 2018, Rebecca has hosted the Voice America podcast/radio show, Data Security & Privacy with the Privacy Professor. Rebecca is based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. www.privacysecuritybrainiacs.com

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.

John Wang currently serves as Saviynt’s VP of Product Management for its Enterprise Identity Cloud Platform, the industry’s most complete identity security solution. In this role, John is responsible for supporting the platforms IGA, PAM, AppGRC, and third-party identity security capabilities. He has more than 20 years of product development and management experience with leading vendors such as Fastly, RingCentral, and Proofpoint. He has a patent in applied cryptography for strong authentication and has presented AI/ML research to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the American Bar Association (ABA).

Anmol Agarwal is a security researcher at a Fortune 500 Company and is focused on securing AI and Machine Learning in 5G and 6G. She holds a doctoral degree in cybersecurity analytics from George Washington University and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas at Dallas. She previously worked at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the High Value Asset Program Management Office. In her free time, she enjoys giving back to the community and is an active industry mentor.

Christian Espinosa is the CEO & Founder of Blue Goat Cyber and a Cybersecurity Professor at Maryville University. He holds over 25 certifications, including the CISSP, CCISO, and PMP. Christian is a U.S. Air Force veteran with a BS in Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an MBA from Webster University. He holds multiple patents on cybersecurity attack and defense. Major recent projects include penetration testing and assessments of commercial aircraft, medical device penetration testing, and numerous incident response projects. When Christian isn’t protecting us from cybercriminals, he climbs mountains, travels the world, teaches outdoor wilderness survival, and competes in Ironman triathlons.

With more than 25 years of experience, Kuivala was most recently the Vice President of General IT and User Experience at NXP Semiconductors. Prior to this role, Kuivala was a long-time security executive at Nokia, serving as the company's CISO and CSO throughout his tenure of more than a decade. He helped form a streamlined and co-operative security management structure among product security, IT-security, product safety, and corporate security. Following this, Kuivala was Senior Director of Global Security at Microsoft.

Ben is a 25-year veteran in the cybersecurity industry with a passion to protect enterprise organizations. He has spent his career establishing security programs for companies of all types and sizes, from 500 to 50,000. Ben has held just about every technical security role, from AV, firewall, SIEM, and DLP management, to security architect, and CISO roles.

Prior to joining Zscaler, Ben was the VP/Head of Cybersecurity (CISO) for Coats, a global manufacturer of industrial thread. This was a newly created role that allowed Ben to build a program: from policies, creating and refining processes, to choosing technology controls. Ben is passionate about engaging with both security practitioners and business leaders on the value of digital transformation and preparing businesses to defend against threats. Much of his time is spent focusing teams on the fundamental practices or basics and doing them well before pivoting to more advanced solutions.

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.

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.

Jacob (Jake) Olcott has been in the cybersecurity industry since 2005 and currently serves as the Vice President of Communications and Government Affairs for BitSight. In his role, he helps organizations benchmark their cybersecurity programs using quantitative metrics and provides thought leadership and recommendations regarding the role of directors, officers, and executives in cyber risk management.

Prior to BitSight, Jake served as cybersecurity attorney to the US Senate Commerce Committee and US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. He also consulted with Fortune 1000 executives on cyber risk management and served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Jake holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Jason Kikta is the Chief Information Security Officer at Automox. He previously served for over 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, which included seven years at U.S. Cyber Command designing and managing the national counter-APT and counter-ransomware missions.

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.

With over six years of experience in privacy and data governance, Ben is a passionate and driven global privacy and infosec attorney at eBay, where he helps the company navigate the complex and evolving regulatory landscape of data protection and cyber security. He has a strong background in computer science, cyber security, network engineering, and law, as well as multiple certifications that demonstrate his proficiency and credibility in the field. He is motivated by the challenge of balancing the needs and interests of various stakeholders while ensuring the highest standards of compliance, ethics, and risk management. He values diversity, innovation, and collaboration, and enjoys working with a dynamic and cross-functional team that shares his vision of creating a safe and trusted online marketplace for millions of users worldwide.

In his current role, he advises eBay on global privacy and infosec matters, including developing and implementing policies, procedures, and best practices in privacy, security, and data governance. He leads global efforts in vendor risk management and data processing agreements, and has experience conducting privacy impact assessments, responding to data breaches and incidents, and liaising with regulators, customers, and partners. He leverages his skills in cyber policy, data privacy, and legal aspects to provide practical and strategic solutions that align with the company's business objectives and values. He also contributes to the continuous improvement and education of the privacy and infosec programs by staying updated on the latest trends, developments, and standards in the industry, and by sharing his insights and expertise with his colleagues and peers.

Lisa Plaggemier is Executive Director at the National Cybersecurity Alliance. She is a recognized thought leader in security awareness and education with a track record of engaging and empowering people to protect themselves, their families, and their organizations. Lisa is a University of Michigan graduate (Go Blue!) and while she wasn’t born in Austin, Texas, she got there as fast as she could.

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.