Speakers

Marisol Cruz Cain is a Director in GAO’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity team. She oversees work on federal cybersecurity and privacy issues, including emerging technologies and specific agencies’ ability to protect privacy, sensitive data, and the computing infrastructure.

Marisol joined GAO in 2005. Over her career, she has led audits on government-wide cybersecurity, privacy, and information management issues, including reviews of privacy risks and challenges associated with the use AI, efficiency of federal privacy programs, the implementation of cybersecurity risk management practices, threat information sharing within critical information protection sectors, and the transition to electronic records. She has also issued reports on emerging technologies such as the internet of things and quantum computing. She has also led reviews of cybersecurity and IT management/operations at specific agencies, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Federal Student Aid.

Marisol graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, University at Albany with a master’s degree in public administration concentrating in information policy, and University of Maryland University College with a master’s in information assurance. Marisol also holds many professional certifications, including the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US), CIPP/G, and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Certificate.

Mr. Kelly is a versatile business leader and strategist with 30 years of experience educating senior leaders in the public and private sectors on intelligence, risk, and their intersection with information and communications technologies. He is a recognized expert on the intersection of technology, policy and strategy – with deep expertise in the changing cybersecurity landscape.

During his 20 years in government as both a federal employee and a contractor, he advised executive leaders in government and industry on the strategic implications of emerging technology, cyberspace operations, global influence, and international governance regimes. He served as the Acting CIO and Senior Technical Advisor for the US Government’s Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, focused on how emerging technologies challenge current assumptions about policy, law, and economics. Within the Department of Defense (DoD), he served as Deputy Director for Cyber Capabilities, Chief of Cyber Intelligence, and as the Head of the Information Operations (IO) Policy and Plans in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. At DoD, he was intimately involved with the establishment of US Cyber Command, the development of DoD and national policies on cyberspace, coordination of cyberspace policy and research with allies, and assessment of the threats posed by foreign investment in technology. As President of Pointweaver, LLC, Mr. Kelly works as a consultant advising multi-billion dollar commercial clients on cybersecurity, operational and geopolitical business risk, and government foreign investment reviews and mitigation plans. Over the span of about two decades, Mr. Kelly provided support to DoD, the National Intelligence Council, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army on the future of technology evolution.

He holds an MA in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in Government from Georgetown University.

Daniel L. Richard currently serves as the Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation. Previously he served as the Director, Office of Cyber and Digital Policy in DDI, and prior to that he was Chief of Staff to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and CIA’s Senior Deputy General Counsel. As Senior Deputy General Counsel, he was responsible for overseeing all operational legal guidance and served as the Central Intelligence Agency’s Acting General Counsel from January to June 2017.

Mr. Richard was born and raised in Washington, D.C. He obtained his B.A. in History with an emphasis in Russian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. He went on to get his M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University in 1992 and J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1995. After graduating from law school, Mr. Richard served as a legislative assistant for a congressman from southern Florida before joining CIA in 1996 as an analyst. He transferred to CIA’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) in 1998. Recently, Mr. Richard graduated from the National War College here in Washington D.C. studying U.S. strategy towards China.

He is the 2014 recipient of OGC’s Stewart Award, OGC’s highest honor, and for more than a decade Mr. Richard has served as an Adjunct Law Professor at George Washington University Law School, teaching Intelligence Law. He has also been a guest lecturer at Georgetown University Law School and the National War College. He is married to his wife Amy, and they have two children.

Ms. Rosa Underwood is the Senior Cybersecurity Advisor within Information Technology Category (ITC), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), supporting the transition to a more modernized and resilient infrastructure. She also contributes to GSA initiatives for the adoption and integration of cybersecurity into the acquisitions process to help strenghten the resiliency of the supply chain, government-wide. 

Rosa has an extnsive background in IT and telecommunications with many years of profound experience from various roles in the private sector. Before joining GSA, she was a contractor supporting the implementation of the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program at the Dept. of Commerce. In her role as a Senior Systems Engineer at Juniper Netowrks, Rosa focused an idealistic solutions for compliance with Federal and international standards for hardware and software, including cryptographic module validation programs, across routing, security, and switching platforms. Much of Rosa's expertise comes from her tenure at Verizon Communications where she spent 10 years of her career in Verizon Labs as a Subject Matter Expert (SME). Using her technical knowledge, Rosa crafted innovative solutions that led to 22 patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The depth of her experience includes roles in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC); project management; network operations; customer service; hardware and software testing; and systems integration.

Rosa's professional experience is complemented by degrees in Internetworking Technology, Telecommunications Engineering, and Optoelectronics Engineering. She holds several professional certifications in cybersecurity, project management, and cloud technology. Rosa is a recipient of the 2024 Federal 100 Awards, present to government, industry, and academic leaders who have played pivotal roles in fostering IT modernization and innovation, government-wide. She was named a winner of MeriTalk's 2023 Cyber Defenders Awards which recognizes individuals in government and industry who drive innovation, advance the nation's cybersecurity, and who have made significant contributions across cyber programs in Federal IT.

Timothy Amerson is the Federal CISO at GuidePoint Security and President of the Board of Directors for The KEY (Keep Elevating Yourself) Community. He brings 30+ years of distinguished federal cybersecurity leadership. Most recently, he served as the Founder/CEO/CISO of CASMO Consulting, CISO at the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he was recognized as a 2024–2025 Top 100 Information Security Professional, 2024 FedScoop Top 50 Federal Leader Nominee, and 2025 CyberScoop Government Leader.

At SSA, he oversaw enterprise-wide cybersecurity programs, including Risk Management (CSRM), Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), FISMA compliance, a 24x7 SOC, CDM, Red/Blue Team operations, Vulnerability Management, Insider Threat, C-SCRM, and secure software practices. Under his leadership, SSA’s CIO Cyber Performance Scorecard rose from 70% to 98%, placing the agency among the top federal performers.

Previously, Mr. Amerson held senior roles at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including Director of Cybersecurity Management and Director of National Data Center Operations and Logistics. He was a 2021 finalist for FedScoop’s “Best Bosses in Federal IT.” His federal civilian career began on the help desk at the Texas National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, where he advanced to Chief Technology Officer.

A decorated Army combat veteran with 32 years of service, he served as Platoon Leader, Commander, and Operations Officer, as well as Computer Emergency Response Team Lead and Deputy of the Defense Cyberspace Operations Element. He established the first multi-state Cyber Protection Team and led Red/Blue Team activities in national cyber exercises, including DHS Cyber Storm, USCYBERCOM Cyber Shield, and NGB Cyber Guard, as well as other agencies. His honors include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Silver Order of Thor (Cyber), Silver Order of Mercury (Signal), and Bronze Order of Saint George (Cavalry).

Katie Arrington will oversee the protection and modernization of IonQ’s global enterprise systems, safeguard digital assets and supply chains, and strengthen operational and cyber resilience across the company’s rapidly expanding footprint.

Her move to IonQ reflects a continued personal mission she has championed throughout her career—ensuring U.S. warfighters, government agencies, and industry have access to the world’s most advanced, secure technology.

Most recently, Arrington performed the duties of the Department of War’s Chief Information Officer, advising the Secretary on enterprise information management; satellite, communications, and spectrum capabilities; cyber assurance; and space and emerging technology policy. Earlier, as Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity, she led defense-wide oversight of cyber strategy, governance, and compliance.

A former state legislator and a longtime member of the defense innovation ecosystem, Arrington began her federal service as the CISO for Acquisition & Sustainment, where she developed and implemented the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). She was also instrumental in bringing AI to the COVID Supply Chain efforts. Her industry leadership includes senior roles with Exiger, Booz Allen Hamilton, Centuria Corporation, and Dispersive Networks—each focused on strengthening the defense industrial base, accelerating innovation, and protecting national security.

Jorge G. Lopez is VP of Trust, Safety, and Security Operations at GitLab, where he leads global security operations and incident response. With more than 25 years of experience in security, technology, and public sector missions, he has built and led security operations, detection, and response organizations at Zoom and Peloton, and spent over a decade at Microsoft in leadership roles across product security, security incident response, threat intelligence, and public sector and national security programs.

Earlier in his career, Jorge served as a Communications and Information Officer in the United States Air Force and led IT operations for a US Department of State program in Colombia. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico and an MBA from Florida International University, and maintains multiple security certifications. When not at work, you will find Jorge on the tennis court, travelling abroad, or spending time with his family.

Alex Kreilein is vice president, Product Security and Public Sector Solutions at Qualys. He leads efforts to deliver secure, resilient, and trustworthy products by focusing on vulnerability management, automation, and developer enablement. At Microsoft Azure, Alex led security and resiliency programs for mission-critical workloads. He has been a cloud-native critical infrastructure company CISO and a leader at the Department of Homeland Security. He holds graduate degrees from CU Boulder and the US Naval War College.