Speakers

Colin Ahern was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2022 as the state’s first Chief Cyber Officer. In this role, he has led the development of New York State’s first cybersecurity strategy and cross-agency efforts to protect New York State from cyber threats. Prior to joining state service, Colin served as First Deputy Director of New York City Cyber Command and Acting Chief Information Security Officer of New York City. Colin worked in cybersecurity in financial services before joining New York City government.

Colin began his career in the Army, enlisting in the reserves after 9/11 and later served on active duty as an Army officer where he deployed twice to Afghanistan. He was promoted to multiple leadership roles and ended his Army career as a company commander in the Army Cyber Brigade, where he oversaw the creation of a specialized cyberspace operations organization.

Colin has taught at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and is a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Colin received a bachelor's degree from Tulane University and a Master of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Deborah Blyth, Executive Strategist, is part of the Industry Business Unit at CrowdStrike, where she provides strategic advisory services related to enterprise cybersecurity solutions for all industry verticals including Government, Education and Healthcare.  

Prior to joining CrowdStrike, Deborah Blyth spent 7 years as Colorado’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).  During her tenure she was successful at doubling the cybersecurity budget, recovering from a large-scale ransomware attack, and measurably reducing risk across the state.  Deborah has over 25 years technology background and 15 years leading information security programs.  Before joining the state of Colorado, Deborah led the Information Technology Security and Compliance programs at TTEC (5 years) and Travelport (3 years).  Deborah is a Colorado native, and graduated Summa cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from Regis University. 

Maria S. Thompson is the State and Local Government Executive Government Advisor - Cybersecurity for Amazon Web Services (AWS).  In this role, she brings over 20 years of experience in information technology, strategic planning, computer network defense and risk management. Prior to her role with AWS, Maria served as North Carolina’s first State Chief Risk and Security Officer.