Speakers

Amanda Crawford is the Executive Director of DIR and serves as the Chief Information Officer for the State of Texas. In this role, she is responsible for the overall leadership, direction, and daily operations of DIR, an agency with an annual fiscal profile of approximately $5 billion per year. DIR's responsibilities include protecting the state's data and critical technology infrastructure, managing a multi-billion-dollar cooperative contracts program, and providing strategic technology leadership, solutions, and innovation to all levels of Texas government. Under Mandy’s leadership, DIR led the state’s successful response to the 2019 ransomware attack that affected over 20 local government entities in Texas and secured the transition to the next-generation suite of managed IT services offered through DIR’s Shared Technology Services program.

Prior to leading the team at DIR, Mandy served at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG) for more than 17 years. She held various positions at the OAG, including ultimately serving for two and a half years as the Deputy Attorney General for Administration and General Counsel.

Mandy is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and earned her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Senior Executive with over 23 years of leadership experience in high-stakes security programs, transnational criminal investigations, and Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) strategy. Expert business acumen in planning and directing financial resources, human capital, and technology to ensure enterprise-wide success in highly matrixed environments. A proven track record of strategic analysis and proactive improvements, consistently looking to move people and processes to the next level. Performance focused and results-oriented leader with a demonstrated ability to build, lead, and motivate diverse and cross functional teams to drive business unit and organizational goals.

• Strategic Planning, Assessments, and Solutions

• Strategic Collaboration and Partnerships

• Compliance and Due Diligence

• Risk Mitigation and Crisis Management

• Incident Response and Management

• Travel Risk and Security

• Global Logistics and Transnational Investigations

• Cyber Resiliency and Protective Intelligence

• Threat Assessment and Physical Security

• Budget Formulation and Execution

• Senior Executive Influencer and Business Enabler

• Insider Threat Management

Chris Belasco is the Senior Manager, Digital Services and Chief Data Officer for the City of Pittsburgh in the Department of Innovation and Performance, where he manages analytic, data engineering, and software development efforts to improve City operations. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Chris received his PhD in Public and International Affairs, Master of Public and International Affairs, BS in Information Science, and BA in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.

During his spare time, he likes to cook, travel, cycle, and visit museums with his two daughters. A 20-year resident of Bloomfield, he can often be found working to restore his old house.

Michel A. Kinsy is the Center Director, Secure, Trusted, and Assured Microelectronics (STAM) Center, Arizona State University

Associate Professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI),  Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University. Dr. Kinsy focuses his research on computer architecture, hardware-level security, and efficient hardware design and implementation of post-quantum cryptography systems. Before joining the ASU faculty, Dr. Kinsy was a tenured associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU). He also held faculty positions at Boston University and University of Oregon. From 2013 to 2014, he was a fully-cleared Member of the Technical Staff at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Dr. Kinsy is an MIT Presidential Fellow and an Inaugural Skip Ellis Career Award recipient. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2013 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Anthony Rodgers is a self-proclaimed bureaucracy hacker, slayer of technical debt, and vocal proponent of digital services, technology transformation, and modular acquisition in government IT.

With over 30 years in information technology, 25 of them in public service, I continue to provide strategic leadership in all areas of information technology to my fellow executives.

I am a strong advocate for integrating IT industry best practices into government program delivery, to provide human-centered services to residents in a secure and cost-effective way.

After working for Dell and Microsoft in Europe, and a Cisco VAR, Microsoft Solution Partner, and a municipal government in Canada, I have been with the State of Michigan Department of Technology Management and Budget for almost 9 years, where I report to the Chief Technology Officer as the Director of Technology Transformation Services.

Jacque Rowden is the Assistant Director, IT Operations (Technical Reliability) for the City of Pittsburgh in the Department of Innovation and Performance, where she manages the technology – infrastructure and endpoint – that supports the employees of the City. She holds a B.S. in Biology and will earn an MBA this summer of 2023.

EJ Widun is the Chief Technology Officer for Oakland County.  EJ joined Oakland County 2015 to launch their Enterprise Architecture practice.  His philosophy and team culture focus on integrating business, security, application, technical, and data risks into executable strategies while fostering a spirit of collaboration across IT and business partners.

EJ brings over twenty-five years of experience to his endeavors that spans several industries including government, financial services, car rental, technology and automotive.  During his career, EJ’s responsibilities have included: Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy, Information Security, Data Management, Business Intelligence, Business Analysis, Process Transformation, Application Development, Identity Management, Cloud, Technology Operations and Project Management. EJ is also an active member on the Board of Directors for Michigan Government Management Information Science (MiGMIS), Oakland Schools Cyber Security Advisory Committee and Tulane University SoPA Information Technology Programs Industry Advisory Board.

Tim Rahschulte, PhD is the chief executive officer at The Professional Development Academy and chief architect of the NACo High Performance Leadership Program. Dr. Rahschulte has over twenty years of professional management experience and started his career in corporate finance for a multibillion-dollar company. Most recently before his CEO role at the Academy, he served as a principal executive for 14 years in state government; serving as chief learning officer in Oregon government until 2014. Tim is the co-author of Projects Without Boundaries: Successfully Leading Teams and Managing Projects in a Virtual World (Wiley, 2017); Program Management for Improved Business Results (Wiley, 2007); Leading Global Project Teams (Wiley, 2010); Distributed Team Collaboration in Organizations (Wiley, 2011), and My Best Advice: Proven Rules For Effective Leadership (IntelliPress Media).

Innovation leader and Forbes Top 50 AI in Government Influencer Colonel (Ret.) Jen Sovada leads SB Technology’s Federal team focused on Government issues at the nexus of physics and AI to help solve problems that are not possible with classical computing today.  Prior to her position at SB Technology, she was the Chief Futures Officer and Senior Vice President / General Manager for the Intelligence Community (IC) start-up MissionTech Solutions which was acquired by Avantus Federal in November 2020.  

Jen is a retired Air Force Officer whose career in Intelligence focused on higher-end technological capabilities.  She’s held various positions in operational test, systems interoperability, and requirements definition.  In her last job in the Air Force, Jen served as the Chief of Talent Management for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters,U.S. Air Force, where she was responsible for the career development of over 35,000 Airmen. Jen also served as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR and conducted outreach to the private sector where she fostered communication and transparency to enable improved DoD, IC, and USAF strategy development, acquisition, tech advancements and operational capability.  In this role she helped to develop and grow the DoD’s innovation community by serving as an advisor to AFWERX, the Defense Innovation Board and the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. 

Jen also serves as the Chairwoman of the Board for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum,President of the National Intelligence University Alumni Association, as well as amember of the Board of Directors for the National Intelligence University Foundation.

Innovation leader and Forbes Top 50 AI in Government Influencer Colonel (Ret.) Jen Sovada leads SB Technology’s Federal team focused on Government issues at the nexus of physics and AI to help solve problems that are not possible with classical computing today.  Prior to her position at SB Technology, she was the Chief Futures Officer and Senior Vice President / General Manager for the Intelligence Community (IC) start-up MissionTech Solutions which was acquired by Avantus Federal in November 2020.  

Jen is a retired Air Force Officer whose career in Intelligence focused on higher-end technological capabilities.  She’s held various positions in operational test, systems interoperability, and requirements definition.  In her last job in the Air Force, Jen served as the Chief of Talent Management for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Cyber Effects Operations, Headquarters,U.S. Air Force, where she was responsible for the career development of over 35,000 Airmen. Jen also served as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR and conducted outreach to the private sector where she fostered communication and transparency to enable improved DoD, IC, and USAF strategy development, acquisition, tech advancements and operational capability.  In this role she helped to develop and grow the DoD’s innovation community by serving as an advisor to AFWERX, the Defense Innovation Board and the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. 

Jen also serves as the Chairwoman of the Board for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum,President of the National Intelligence University Alumni Association, as well as amember of the Board of Directors for the National Intelligence University Foundation.

Meghan leads the Cyber Accelerator for Leidos to build, integrate, and enhance cyber technologies. She focuses on designing and delivering innovative solutions for cyberspace operations and cybersecurity across Leidos’ defense, civilian, health, and intelligence customers. She is a Leidos Technical Fellow with impactful contributions in cyber operations, threat analytics, and data visualization.

Doug is Deputy CTO for the Leidos corporation leading R&D investments, technology partnerships, technical talent growth, solution architects for new business, and key strategic campaigns for the Leidos Office of Technology.
 

As a CTO Cyber & Analytics at ThunderCat Technology, Justin Robinson has spent the last decade working to protect the US Public Sector from cyber threats and helping agencies
develop effective security strategies.

With a deep expertise in the field, Justin has become a sought-after speaker and trusted
advisor, leveraging 20+ years of IT experience. Justin has been featured at major industry
conferences, and Public Sector focused events and publications including Govloop, Meritalk,
and others. Justin';s expertise is rooted in their extensive experience designing cyber security architecture for large organizations across a range of industries. These organizations have successfully managed complex security projects, implemented security controls and frameworks, and developed incident response plans to help organizations quickly and effectively respond to security incidents.

Through his work, Justin has earned a reputation as a thought leader who is able to translate
complex cyber security concepts into practical, actionable advice for organizations of all sizes.
He has a talent for breaking down technical jargon and communicating in a way that resonates
with both technical and non-technical audiences.

Prior to joining ThunderCat, Justin was Chief Technology Officer Federal Civilian Agencies at
NetApp, Inc. where his responsibilities included forging technical partnerships within the
Federal Civilian customer base, as well as taking Federal Civilian customer feedback to product operations. Before starting at NetApp, Justin was President and Owner of Node5 LLC, where his focus was delivering best of breed data center solutions for Civilian Federal customers. This included solutions around virtualization, messaging, security, and storage infrastructure. Justin has leveraged years of operational experience at Monster.com, EngineX Networks, and Booz Allen & Hamilton, to help his customers succeed.

Laura Galante has served as the Intelligence Community’s Cyber Executive and Director of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC) for the Office of the Director for National Intelligence since May 2022. In this role, Ms. Galante is responsible for driving a coordinated approach to cyber intelligence collection and analysis, aligning strategic investments with national security priorities, and leading intelligence efforts to respond to major cybersecurity incidents.

Ms. Galante brings extensive security industry experience to her current role. From 2017 to 2021, she assisted multiple Ukrainian government agencies to improve their cyber defense operations, directed an international task force to monitor cyber and information threats to Ukraine’s 2019 presidential election, and served as an expert witness in multiple cyber warfare trials. She spoke frequently on states’ use of cyberspace at international and industry conferences including a 2017 TED Talk.

Ms. Galante was previously the Director of Global Intelligence at Mandiant (formerly FireEye Inc.), the cybersecurity firm. Her team discovered and attributed multiple state and criminal cyber operations, to include the Russian military’s “APT28.” She developed intelligence products to improve the security posture of Fortune 500 companies, critical infrastructure providers, non-profits, government agencies, and international partners. Prior to her role at Mandiant, Ms. Galante served at the Defense Intelligence Agency where she led a team responsible for analyzing Russian cyber capabilities. She began her career at the Department of State.

Ms. Galante holds a B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Italian from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America. She is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Ms. Galante is a proud 4-H alumna, a livestock club leader, and lives on a farm in rural Virginia with her husband and son.

Cynthia Kaiser is a Deputy Assistant Director with FBI Cyber Division, where she oversees national-level cyber policy, analysis of cyber threats, and partner engagement. Cynthia has covered cyber, technology, and counterintelligence issues for over 17 years for the FBI, served as a PDB Briefer in two presidential administrations, and has led FBI cyber threat analysis and served as an FBI election lead since 2017. In this role, she has reshaped FBI information sharing and collaboration with the private sector and federal, state, and local government officials to be robust, proactive, and aimed at imposing risks and consequences on malicious cyber actors.

Cynthia holds a Master’s degree in security policy focused on science and technology and an Executive Master’s degree in leadership.

Mr. David McKeown serves as the Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity and DoD Senior Information Security Officer (SISO) per 44 USC 3544. Mr. McKeown supports the Office of the CIO by leading engagement with the Defense Agencies and Field Activities (DAFA), providing oversight of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and leading strategic resource planning across the information technology (IT) and cybersecurity domains.

As the DCIO(CS) and SISO, he provides expert policy, technical, program, and defense-wide oversight support to the DoD CIO on all cybersecurity matters. He is responsible for leading the DoD-wide cybersecurity program and associated governance processes. He partners with industry to improve cybersecurity and information sharing through the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and represents the Secretary of Defense and DoD CIO in international discussions and negotiates cybersecurity topics in both bilateral and multi-lateral (alliance and coalition) channels. He leads the development of the cybersecurity investment priorities for the Department and provides planning guidance to Components.

Mr. McKeown has over 35 years of experience in the Department of Defense having served 27 years in the Air Force and 8 years as a government civilian. He spent 21 years as an Air Force Cyberspace Operations officer skillfully leading numerous organizations and high-visibility initiatives to include the Air Force Cybersecurity Program as a member of the Air Staff.

He served as the Director of Enterprise Information and Mission Assurance for the United States Army Information Technology Agency and as the Cybersecurity Center Chief and Enterprise Services Center Chief for the DISA Joint Service Provider in the Pentagon. He led the Pentagon Computer Incident Response Team (PENTCIRT) providing twenty-four-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week network security monitoring and intrusion detection, attack sensing and warning, and incident response and handling for the Department of Defense's key leadership and staffs.

Mr. McKeown most recently led the Department of Justice’s Service Delivery Staff where he was responsible for the acquisition, development, deployment, operations, and maintenance of Department IT as well as delivery of high quality, customer-centric services to ensure the success of the DOJ and its component organizations.

Karen Wetzel joined the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) as Manager of the NICE Framework in October 2020. In this role she is responsible for leading efforts around the development, improvement, and application of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework) in support of an integrated ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development.

Karen specializes in community engagement and collaborating with stakeholders and subject matter experts to identify, communicate, and develop guidance, tools, and resources and to address emerging trends and opportunities.

Prior to joining NICE, Karen was Director of the Community Groups and Working Groups programs at EDUCAUSE and served as Standards Program Manager for the National Information Standards Organization (NISO).

Patrick Toomey (@PatrickCToomey) is the deputy director of the ACLU National Security Project, where he works on issues related to privacy and surveillance, racial and ethnic discrimination, and the use of novel technologies like artificial intelligence. His litigation and advocacy often focus on national security prosecutions or policies where these issues intersect.

Patrick has litigated high-profile cases challenging sweeping surveillance programs operated by U.S. intelligence agencies, and has represented Asian American scientists who have been wrongly investigated and prosecuted by the U.S. government. Patrick’s writing and commentary on national security and civil liberties issues appear regularly in the media.

Patrick is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Nancy Gertner, United States district judge for the District of Massachusetts, and to the Hon. Barrington D. Parker, United States circuit judge for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining the ACLU, Patrick worked on criminal defense, regulatory defense, and intellectual property matters at a law firm in New York.

Jeff Greene is the Senior Director for Cybersecurity Programs at the Aspen Institute.  Jeff joined Aspen in July of 2022 from the White House, where he served as the Chief for Cyber Response & Policy in the National Security Council’s Cyber Directorate.  Jeff led the NSC’s defensive cyber and incident response efforts, and his team developed and drafted Executive Order 14028 (Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity).  Jeff also ran the White House counter-ransomware effort and oversaw the whole-of-government effort to harden the cybersecurity of U.S. critical infrastructure in advance of Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine.

Jeff previously served as Director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  Prior to joining NIST he was the Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Policy at Symantec, where he led a global team of policy experts.  While at Symantec Jeff also served as an appointed member of NIST’s Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board and was a special government employee working on President Obama’s 2016 Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.  Before Symantec Jeff worked on both the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees, was Counsel to the Senate’s Special Investigation into Hurricane Katrina, and practiced law at a large Washington, D.C. firm.

Alan Butler is Executive Director and President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, D.C. Mr. Butler joined EPIC in 2011 and served as Interim Executive Director during 2020. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, Mr. Butler managed EPIC’s litigation, including the Amicus Program, and filed briefs in emerging privacy and civil liberties cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and other appellate courts. Mr. Butler has argued on behalf of EPIC in privacy and open government cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Third Circuit, and the Supreme Courts of New Mexico and New Jersey. Mr. Butler has authored briefs on behalf of EPIC in significant privacy cases, including an amicus brief in Riley v. California that was cited in the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion upholding Fourth Amendment protections for cell phones. He has also authored briefs on national security, open government, workplace privacy, and consumer privacy issues. Mr. Butler is also Chair of the Privacy and Information Protection Committee of the ABA Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice. He is co-author of the most recent edition of Communications Law and Policy: Cases and Materials and has also published several articles on emerging privacy issues, including: Products Liability and the Internet of (Insecure) Things: Should Manufacturers Be Liable for Damage Caused by Hacked Devices?, Get a Warrant: The Supreme Court’s New Course for Digital Privacy Rights after Riley v. California, Standing Up to Clapper: How to Increase Transparency and Oversight of FISA Surveillance, and When Cyberweapons End Up on Private Networks: Third Amendment Implications for Cybersecurity Policy. Mr. Butler is a graduate of UCLA School of Law and Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a B.A. in Economics. He is a member of the DC Bar and the State Bar of California.

Dave Forbes is a cybersecurity leader who drives Booz Allen’s solutions focused on industrial cybersecurity and infrastructure protection. He has more than 24 years of experience in defense-related operations and consulting and leads Booz Allen’s defense operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity business, supporting clients in the national capital region, as well as across the U.S. and the Asia Pacific.

While at Booz Allen, Dave has led teams supporting key Department of Defense initiatives such as Quadrennial Defense Review, Maritime Domain Awareness, Navy Strategic Planning Process, Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy, and Marine Corps Expeditionary Force Development.

Dave engages with leaders across the defense and federal space to understand their current environment, assess their ability to protect critical infrastructure and support mission readiness, and help them make sound program decisions.

Prior to joining Booz Allen, Dave worked as a strategic planner in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. In this role, he worked and coordinated with OSD leadership, combatant commands, secretaries of military departments and service chiefs, as well as service staff and the defense policy community.

Dave also served for 11 years in the U.S. Army, where he was posted to command or staff positions at the company level through the division level. He culminated his time in service as a staff officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Army.

Dave earned a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in science and technology from the George Mason University School of Public Policy and a B.A. in international relations from Norwich University, the Military College of Vermont. He is the vice chair of the Norwich University Board of Fellows for the Senator Patrick Leahy School of Cybersecurity & Advanced Computing.

Sandra Joyce is a cybersecurity leader and has been head of Mandiant Intelligence since 2017. She oversees threat research activities and operations of the Mandiant Intelligence organization and joined Google in 2022, following Google’s acquisition of Mandiant.

Sandra is an officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, serving as a faculty member at the National Intelligence University. She is also a member of the Aspen Institute Cybersecurity Working Group, sits on the strategic council of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, and is a member of the Institute for Security and Technology’s Ransomware Task Force Steering Committee. She is regularly featured in international print and broadcast media to include CNN, NBC, Bloomberg, BBC World, Today Show, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Deutsche Welle, and others.

Sandra is pursuing her PhD at Johns Hopkins University as an Alperovitch Institute Fellow. She has an MBA from MIT and holds four additional master’s degrees in cyber-policy, international affairs, science and technology intelligence, and military operational art and science. Sandra speaks English, Spanish, and German and resides in Virginia with her family.

Ron Nixon is the Federal CISO at Cohesity, where he supports sales, engineering and product development efforts. Ron has held senior technical management and CTO roles with General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) where he managed the defense cybersecurity program and supported over 200 programs. Ron also held CTO roles at CSRA and NES Associates supporting customer enterprises for commercial, defense, and government markets. Ron is a 23-year US Army veteran where he supported IT and cyber operations for Joint, Special, and Conventional operators and retired as the Senior Warrant/CTO for Operations at Army Cyber Command with direct global support to 1.4 million users in both strategic and tactical environments.

Tim Schaad is the Vice President of Information Security for ManTech’s Federal Civilian Sector.

He leads the development and implementation of ManTech’s strategic innovation initiatives for federal civilian agencies. He brings a broad technical and business background to his role, including instructional systems design, security engineering, cyber engineering, systems integration and implementation, cross domain solutions, and web development.

Mr. Schaad has more than 20 years of technical and leadership experience, which has led to numerous business successes for the company. These include the design of ManTech’s original Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program, and design of the U.S. Marine Corps Cyber Range (MCCR) and the Cyber Training and Evaluation Platform (CTEP) within the DoD Cyber Security Range (CSR), which conducts nearly 200 cyber testing, training and exercise events each year. In 2017, he launched the company’s flagship ACRE® cyber range to deliver military-grade cyber range capabilities to federal civilian and commercial markets. He has spoken at commercial, government and military cyber conferences on best practices and current trends in cybersecurity and cyber training.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Schaad served as a Security Engineer for eXMeritus Software Federal Systems and as a Senior Analyst for Gannett Newspapers.

1105 Media honored Mr. Schaad with a 2018 Government Industry Innovator award for his work with ManTech’s Cyber Range. In his spare time, he volunteers with the Chantilly Youth Association’s Recreational Soccer League.

He holds an MBA from Ashford University and a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature from The College of William and Mary.

Amandeep Singh is a Solutions Architect at AWS focusing on data and analytics solutions using cloud native and ISV partner software. Amandeep has a background in hybrid networks, IT Ops, digital transformation and cloud migration. He helps customers simplify their transition and optimization of cloud workloads.