Speakers

Paul Selby currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy, CIO for the United States Department of Energy. In this role, Paul leads cybersecurity operations, strategy, policy, authorization, and assessment efforts supporting agency-wide cyber and information security programs. Paul oversees the cybersecurity programs of the DOE enterprise, comprising a diverse set of missions – from open science research to Power Marketing Administrations. Previously, Paul served as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the IRS. In this role Paul was responsible for leading strategic priorities to maximize protection of IRS assets, mitigate risks or operational disruptions and ensure resilience of critical IRS functions and business processes, while maintaining continuous service to both internal and external IRS customers. Paul led an organization of professionals who manage IRS Security Policy, Audit Management, Security Assessments, Cloud Strategy, Incident Response, Configuration Management, Security Services, and Risk Management.

Paul also served as acting Deputy Chief, Facilities Management and Security Services. In this role, Paul led an organization of professionals who delivered a diverse set of facilities and security services to all IRS employees. These services included: physical security and emergency preparedness, logistics, real estate and project management, and environmental and safety services.

Paul has over 25 years of IT experience providing complex networking solutions for U.S. DoD and Civilian agencies. Paul is an officer in the United States Navy Reserves and holds a Master's in Information Systems (Cybersecurity and Information Assurance) from Penn State University and an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Param Soni is the Chief Information Officer and Chief AI Officer for the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the Department of Commerce. Mr. Soni plans and directs the full range of information technology functions to support and improve the quality and timeliness of BEA's statistical products and bring innovation to collect, analyze, and provide services.

Before joining BEA in September 2021, he served in executive roles in the public and private sectors, developing and implementing strategies to improve IT processes, architecture, design, and services.

Beginning in 2016, Mr. Soni served as deputy director in the Department of Labor, leading IT services for the Employment and Training Administration and serving as the Labor Department’s cloud program manager. In 2020, he was on detail as acting chief engineer of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Soni joined the federal government in 2010 as the EPA’s chief architect. His private sector roles included President of an IT consulting company and Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr. Soni holds a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park.