Jessica Van Eerde is StateRAMP’s Chief of Operations, where she passionately represents and supports StateRAMP’s mission and its members. A seasoned leader with over a decade of experience working with State and Local Governments, as well as in the realm of Higher Education, Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Her expertise spans various domains, including law, procurement, and professional development. Notably, Jessica plays a pivotal role in the leadership of the TX-RAMP StateRAMP partnership, driving initiatives that optimize cybersecurity tools and resources for State, Local, and Education (SLED) organizations nationwide. Her dedication to advancing cybersecurity excellence is reflected in her strategic leadership and commitment to forging impactful collaborations.

Naomi Ward is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts expert in Third Party Risk Management. In her current role with the Enterprise Risk Management Office, she works closely with senior leadership to incorporate risk awareness into the process of decision-making. Her current responsibilities include conducting assessments, expanding third-party continuous monitoring programs, collaborating with Commonwealth Secretariate CISO’s, building relationships with key partners including StateRAMP, developing tools for enterprise communication, and creating internal training and awareness.

Her background in executive level leadership and auditing combined with a high level of organizational communication skills drives her role in Enterprise Risk Management. Previously, Naomi held the positions of Executive Director of the Wyoming National Guard Youth Challenge Program and adjunct professor in communication courses. She also has 10 years of internal audit experience in both the public and private sectors. Early in her career, she picked up the book by James P. Owen, The Code of the West. She attributes the 10 principles outlined in this book to her success as an ethical leader. Naomi holds a comprehensive degree in Communications from Evangel University and a Master of Business Administration MBA from Jones International University. She sits on the NASPO/StateRAMP taskforce committee. She is a member of the Third-Party Risk Association, ISACA, and the Advanced Cyber Security Center (ACSC).

Fadi Fadhil is the Field CTO at Palo Alto Networks, bringing over 20 years of expertise in digital transformation and business strategy within the Government and Education sectors. Known for his leadership in crafting effective cybersecurity strategies, Fadi focuses on success criteria tailored to these critical areas. His distinguished career includes serving as the CIO of the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Public Schools. Additionally, during Operation Iraqi Freedom II (2003-2005), he acted as a Technology Architect and Liaison

Chris Teale is a technology reporter for Route Fifty, part of the Government Executive Media Group. He reports on state and local governments' use of technology, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, internet connectivity, social media and modernization. Teale was previously a technology reporter for Morning Consult, covered smart cities for Industry Dive and had spells in local news in Northern Virginia. He is a graduate of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and has lived in the Washington, D.C., area for more than a decade.