SecureWorld Government Virtual Conference 2023

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.

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.

Passionate about addressing the problems related to cybersecurity and technology of the future. People speak about innovation, but Yolanda encourages innovation from workplace entry to developing new tools, solutions, and techniques. As a former U.S. Department of Defense civilian for more than 20 years, she has been "doing cyber" before we had the term, but started "doing innovation" since high school, where she worked at NASA and Exxon USA.

At Raytheon BBN Technologies, she supports the president with developing strategies to grow how BBN Technologies supports the Intelligence Community needs of today and the needs the IC will have in the near future. At BBN, the workforce is passionate and thrives in producing solutions to hard challenges and developing beyond state-of-the-art research and development. It's a dynamic environment with a constantly evolving portfolio of new projects, always aimed at solving tough problems for our customers. BBN's portfolio consists of these topics: advancing research with DNA, bio-technology, quantum, cybersecurity, AI/ML, acoustics, space, 5G, human language technologies, and secure computer networking devices.

As an experienced Electrical Engineer from Vanderbilt University, she demonstrated a history of providing strategic leadership to support the Intelligence Community through technology (microelectronics, cellular communications, high speed fiber networks, radio frequencies [RF], SCADA, satellites, cyber security, cloud technologies, and computer software development).

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.

Creating value-add business outcomes through security and privacy design is the core of my professional mission. I prioritize understanding my clients’ organizational goals and culture to ensure their infrastructure and processes reflect their ethos. As an IT-to-business translator with extensive technical and business advisory experience, I have successfully led audits testing controls from standards such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, GDPR, and PCI-DSS. My contributions to the security community include publications in ISSA Journal and CSOonline, and presentations at RSA Conference, Blackhat Executive Summit, and DefCon. As a member of the SecureWorld Expo Advisory Committee, I remain actively engaged in advancing the field of cybersecurity.

As Washington State’s Enterprise IT Policy Manager, Samantha Zee shepherds the IT policy updates and waiver requests. She previously managed a 24/7 answering service, leveraging the latest technology to encourage human connections serving government, private, and non-profit clients. She earned her MBA while serving as Western Washington University’s Travel Program Specialist, leading a campus-wide effort to replace the electronic travel system. She loves seeing tangible improvements in everyday actions, learning how to use new tools and systems, and feeling chaos resolve into functional organization. In her spare time, she makes art, practices yoga, bikes, and hikes with her family.

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.

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.

Stanton Gatewood is the US Department of Homeland Security /CISA - Region 4 Cyber Security Coordinator/Advisor - State of Georgia. Gatewood is the former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the State of Georgia, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the University of Georgia.

He has more than 35 years of cyber security/e-privacy experience in cyber security program management and strategic planning, executive leadership, including the U.S. federal, state, local, territorial, tribal governments, higher education, and several top-10 global corporations.

Gatewood is also a USAF veteran and has also served as the Vice President for Information Technology and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Albany State University.

Stanton has built 2 centers of excellence, (1) cryptography and (2) cyber awareness & training.

Allison Prout is Senior Counsel at Constangy, where she represents clients, including SaaS providers, data aggregators, and healthcare-covered entities, in complex technology transactions with a specialized focus on data privacy and security contractual requirements. She develops and implements contracting procedures for clients, including international businesses that span multiple legal jurisdictions. With business goals in mind, Allison also works with clients to develop data security and privacy programs to address compliance with data protection regulations, including the GDPR, CCPA, and other state, federal, and global privacy laws.

Sarah serves as a vice chair of the Constangy Cyber Team and practices in New York. She leads the provision of compliance advisory services for the Cyber Team, advising clients on strategies to mitigate risk associated with data privacy and security through business-oriented approaches. Sarah has more than 15 years of experience working in the privacy law area. She is a former privacy officer, a former state regulator, and has extensive experience serving as outside counsel for businesses in the fields of health law, data privacy, regulatory compliance, and risk management. She is well-versed in advising clients on the scope and applicability of domestic and international data privacy laws. A former Assistant General Counsel with the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, Sarah regularly interfaces with state and federal agencies in response to investigations, enforcement actions and compliance audits. Sarah holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional for European law (CIPP/E) credential. She received her J.D. from the University of Buffalo and is admitted to practice in New York and Vermont.

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.

With more than 25 years at the forefront of AI, cloud, enterprise technologies, cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management, VJ is a proven leader, trusted advisor, and strategic investor. He has a demonstrated history of building and scaling successful programs for global enterprises and transforming innovative concepts into impactful products.

As a trusted Board advisor and subject matter expert, VJ guides organizations through intricate digital landscapes, fostering both innovation and strategic foresight. He brings particular value to Audit & Risk Management committees, where he rigorously evaluates and audits technology and cybersecurity organizations and programs, ensuring their veracity, efficiency, resilience, and strategic effectiveness.

A sought-after advisor across expert, incubator, and accelerator networks, VJ empowers VC and PE firms with incisive market analysis, competitive intelligence, and opportunity mapping.

VJ currently applies his diverse skills as the Founding Partner of CYFORIX, a strategic defense and technology risk advisory group, and as CEO of TORQE, a specialized firm focused on solution engineering and transformation.