SecureWorld Dallas 2026

Rob Finch is a Cyber Risk Analyst with Cyber Risk Opportunities (CRO). His job is to deliver the Managed Program, AI Risk Management Plans, other cyber risk services offered by CRO.

Rob enjoys creating tools that assist organizations in understanding and securely integrating AI tools into their operations. He focuses on developing practical, secure AI workflows that balance innovation with responsible risk management, helping teams use new technology effectively and safely.

Abe is a Business Information Security Officer for the Global Advisory Services business segment at CBRE, working with technology teams and business leaders to ensure that protection protocols do not impact the trajectory of business strategy. With experience being a BISO in the Financial sector before transitioning into commercial real estate, Abe has served as a trusted advisor across multiple advancements in technology and how cybersecurity has adjusted in response.

With more than 34 years of experience in information security and executive leadership, Ian Schneller has built a career advancing strategic cybersecurity and resilience across government, defense, finance, and healthcare sectors. His background includes three tenures as a large enterprise Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and recognition as the first CISO ever to win the national ORBIE Award.

He is currently serving at CISO at Marriott International. Most recently, he served as CISO for HCSC and as a Board Director on the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Association Cybersecurity Subcommittee (2021–2025), strengthening protections for a system that supports healthcare for one in three Americans. During this time, Ian also partnered with other senior executives at HCSC to create an organizational wide artificial intelligence governance process (of which he served too) to ensure fair, transparent, and secure use of artificial intelligence.

Ian also served as a fiduciary Board Director for Medecision and as Board Chair for “Dallas CISO Inspire”, bringing together more than 30 regional CISOs to uplift collective cyber defenses. In prior private-sector roles, Ian partnered with the Federal Government to shape national cybersecurity policy, including co-founding the Analysis and Resilience Center, a public-private partnership dedicated to protecting the United States from catastrophic foreign cyber attacks.

A retired U.S. Air Force officer with nearly 24 years of service as a cyber defender, cyber attacker, and senior intelligence officer, Ian has advised the U.S. Congress on cybersecurity priorities and led major initiatives to secure critical infrastructure from cyber attacks and to enhance the nation’s most sensitive intelligence capabilities.

Certifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC); Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (ISSEP); Qualified Technical Executive (QTE – digital/cyber board director); Private Director Association Certificate; Wharton Corporate Governance Certification; and Corporate Governance Institute Board Director Certification with additional qualifications in governing Artificial Intelligence, Cyber, and Digital Transformation

Teresa Merklin is a Principal Information Assurance Engineer for Cybersecurity Engineering at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, where she is responsible for technology identification and evaluation for aeronautics platforms. Teresa holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, a Masters of Software Engineering from Texas Christian University, an MBA in Information Assurance from the University of Dallas. She is a CISSP and CSSLP.

Keavy Murphy is a Boston-based security professional currently serving as the Vice President of Security at Net Health. Passionate about cybersecurity, especially for new and emerging companies, she prioritizes using soft skills to manage compliance and risk management effectively in parallel with business objectives. Previously, she served in information security roles at Starburst Data, Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Alegeus and State Street. She enjoys writing about and researching the benefits of effective communication within the security space. Her work has been published in Dark Reading and Info Security Magazine and presented at seminars including the Chief Data and Analytics Officers Conference and FutureCon. She is an active volunteer with Boston Cares, has served in the ISACA Engage Mentor program, and holds both CIPP and CIPM certifications.

Bryan Perkola, CISSP, CISM, is a passionate cybersecurity professional with more than 40 years of IT experience and 20 years of cybersecurity expertise in organizations across manufacturing, retail, and finance. Bryan holds multiple bachelor's degrees from the University of Houston and received his master’s degree in Cybersecurity from WGU, in addition to numerous industry certifications. Bryan’s work experience has focused on mid-sized organizations, where he was intimately involved with multiple disciplines, including marketing and human resources, which provided him with unique perspectives and understanding for developing creative and effective security awareness programs that promote a strong cybersecurity culture within the organization. This led Bryan to author the book, “Energized Cybersecurity Culture,” which details techniques to make your workforce and active part of your cybersecurity defensive stack.

Tejas Pravinbhai Patel is a Senior Software Development Engineer at Amazon and Chair of the Irving ACM Chapter. He holds Fellowship designations from SCRS, BCS, and IET, and has delivered 14+ international keynotes at IEEE and ACM conferences. He has 30+ IEEE Xplore publications in AI systems and inference optimization (h-index 4, 77 citations).

Joe Paul is a seasoned Information Technology and Cybersecurity leader, currently the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and Director of Cybersecurity Compliance for Choreograph, a WPP Media Brand. Choreograph is the big data and ad tech subsidiary of WPP Group, the most extensive worldwide advertising, media, and public relations conglomerate.

Joe earned his Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale (Florida) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from CUNY College of Staten Island (New York). He holds numerous professional certifications in Information Security, Risk Management, Governance, Disaster Recovery, and Project Management. Joe is an active member of multiple professional organizations and associations, including ISSA, InfraGard, ISACA, and ISC2. In his spare time, he is an avid photographer and automobile enthusiast.

Teresa Merklin is a Principal Information Assurance Engineer for Cybersecurity Engineering at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, where she is responsible for technology identification and evaluation for aeronautics platforms. Teresa holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, a Masters of Software Engineering from Texas Christian University, an MBA in Information Assurance from the University of Dallas. She is a CISSP and CSSLP.

Joe Paul is a seasoned Information Technology and Cybersecurity leader, currently the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and Director of Cybersecurity Compliance for Choreograph, a WPP Media Brand. Choreograph is the big data and ad tech subsidiary of WPP Group, the most extensive worldwide advertising, media, and public relations conglomerate.

Joe earned his Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale (Florida) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from CUNY College of Staten Island (New York). He holds numerous professional certifications in Information Security, Risk Management, Governance, Disaster Recovery, and Project Management. Joe is an active member of multiple professional organizations and associations, including ISSA, InfraGard, ISACA, and ISC2. In his spare time, he is an avid photographer and automobile enthusiast.

Shawn Tuma is an internationally recognized cybersecurity, computer fraud and data privacy law attorney, areas in which he has practiced for two decades. He is Co-Chair of Spencer Fane’s Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice where he regularly serves as cybersecurity and privacy counsel advising a wide variety of businesses ranging from small and mid-sized companies to Fortune 100 enterprises. Shawn has been named a Cybersecurity Law Trailblazer by the National Law Journal, SuperLawyers Top 100 Lawyers in DFW, and Best Lawyers in Dallas. He serves as the Practitioner Editor for Bloomberg Law’s Texas Privacy & Data Security Law, among many other activities.

Parrish is currently the CISO at MVB Financial Corp. and is the former SVP & CISO of Sunflower Bank. He has more than 25 years of technology experience and more than 14 years in cybersecurity. During this time, Parrish has worked in various functions of technology, risk management, infrastructure services and support, audit and compliance, incident response, and cybersecurity / information security. His experience also includes working in multiple industries including financial services, telecommunications, chemical manufacturing, real estate, and retail. In addition, he has worked in both global Fortune 500 companies and small start-up-based companies.

During his tenure as a CISO, he has been involved in the creation, staffing, building, and management of comprehensive information security programs for various companies across diverse locations and personnel. In all these companies, he has implemented programs based on risk and threat analysis and has implemented controls, services, and processes that have not only met the needs of the company but also the regulatory and compliance requirements of the company including incident response capabilities.

Parrish holds a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University and certifications as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), and Professional Project Manager (PMP).

Dr. Fredrick Dande is a senior IT platform manager and doctoral scholar with more than 15 years of leadership experience deeply rooted in highly regulated financial services environments spanning modern fintech, global tax, wealth management, and banking. Currently serving as the Sr. Manager of IT Platform Services at Circle Internet Financial, he manages enterprise AI governance within the ITSM platform strategy for global 24x7 operations. As Circle’s ITSM AI Ambassador, he partners directly with Security, Legal, and Compliance to ensure the scalable and ethical adoption of AI assisted automation.

Dr. Dande’s career is defined by his ability to bridge the gap between complex infrastructure management and executive business strategy. Prior to Circle, he served as IT Director for Global Tax at Ernst & Young (EY), where he led ITSM modernization for over 10,000 global users, improving SLA compliance by 20%. His extensive financial sector tenure also includes Technical Services leadership at Janney, where he oversaw multi-million-dollar IT budgets and managed critical Disaster Recovery data center migrations, as well as NOC Management for PFFCU. Throughout roles at Comcast and PHH, he built resilient operational frameworks, championing rigorous "5 Whys" root-cause analysis to mitigate high-severity incidents.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Dande has over 10 years of college-level teaching experience as an Adjunct Professor, specializing in Security Essentials, Cloud Computing, and Disaster Recovery. He recently completed his PhD in Technology Management from Indiana State University, focusing his research on CMDB adoption within complex IT environments. A certified PMP and ITIL practitioner, Dr. Dande is recognized for his ability to translate high-velocity technical challenges into clear, actionable, ROI-based risk frameworks that empower executive decision-making.

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.