2022 NYS Cybersecurity Conference Presenters

Asha Abraham

HubSpire Corp

Asha leads the cybersecurity practice at HubSpire, to address essential elements of cyber security: from strategy, governance and enterprise risk management to controls architecture and implementation, both internally and for her clients. She has over 20 years of experience integrating data protection technologies cohesively to mitigate cyber risk and comply with regulatory requirements. She's led the adoption of Enterprise Risk Management Frameworks at large financial institutions, helped clients operationalize their internal IT controls assessment process, managed cyber regulatory compliance initiatives and performed pre-audit reviews of cybersecurity domains to identify control gaps and lead risk remediation efforts at large organizations.

Bhaskar Agarwal

Nagarro Inc.

A seasoned Technology & Enterprise architecture professional with over 21+ years of industry experience across diverse business domains like energy, manufacturing, public sector & citizen services, banking & financial as well as HR (including hiring, compensation, appraisals, and learning lifecycles), Digital & Traditional Marketing and CRM. He has worked with large & distributed organizations and corporations in envisioning & implementing Enterprise-wide strategies, solutions & security frameworks spanning across multiple platforms and led and mentored agile small - mid-size teams, providing end-to-end architecture and design coverage, and guidance and technology directions. Specializations include Enterprise architecture consulting & portfolio rationalization, Enterprise API Strategy including API-first strategy along with API lifecycle management, Cloud architecture & strategy, Enterprise Mobility, IoT, MSAs and Container architectures, Web & Mobile development & security practices covering OWASP aspects & associated toolsets, AI & ML implementations, while providing advisory & technology consulting to CXO / leadership stakeholders of client's organizations on varied set topics of covered above.

Andre Alves

Trend Micro

Andre Alves has been working alongside enterprise organizations to help them achieve strong security architectures for over 12 years. His love of all things technology developed in his teenage years while living in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which led to his passion of working with cutting edge technologies. Today, Andre possesses deep knowledge of all cloud security concepts and is well-respected for his ability to address complex situations with a multidisciplinary set of capabilities. He is often the go-to person for security business leaders who are looking to improve their cloud architecture, resiliency, and technical optimization. Andre majored in Information Systems with a minor in Business Administration and is a certified AWS Security Specialist.

Jeremy Anderson

Deloitte & Touche LLP

Jeremy is a Senior Manager with over 25 years of experience in higher education and State governments focused on strategy, technology, and partner ecosystem. In addition, has a proven ability to develop new business in emerging international markets, launch new products, and build effective global teams in a highly matrixed and distributed organization.

James Antonakos

Broome Community College

James L. Antonakos is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus, at Broome Community College, in Binghamton, NY. James is an online instructor in information security and has extensive industrial work experience as well in electronic manufacturing for both commercial and military products, particularly in flight control computer technology for Navy aircraft. James is the author or co-author of over 40 books on computers, networking, electronics, and technology, as well as numerous magazine articles, and has presented multiple webinars for the National Cybersecurity Institute. James has worked for Airbnb, Apple, Carvana, Crowdstrike, Optiv, and Trustwave, and currently works in the area of digital forensics and incident response.

Jeffrey Baez

Splunk

Jeffrey Baez fell in love with technology when he was seven years old, thanks to the Sega Master System under the Christmas tree.  From the moment he saw those 8-bit graphics light up the Zenith television screen, he knew technology had the power to change the World. Jeffrey's greatest satisfaction in life comes from bringing people together, solving complex problems, and making a measurable impact. In the realm of cybersecurity, this is achieved through cultural change and digital transformation. What he's learned now is it's not about the technology, it's about people. Before joining Splunk, Jeffrey Baez served as the first CISO for the New York State Board of Elections. During his tenure, he helped ratify a governance charter establishing the Secure Elections Center, served as its incident commander, led a series of Statewide tabletop exercises, spoke at the National MS-ISAC Conference, the National Cybersecurity Summit, wrote Part 6220 - Cybersecurity Requirements for Boards of Elections. He also served as the first CISO for the New York State Dept of Financial Services, overall having served 14 of his 21-year career in NYS government. Jeffrey is now a Field CISO for Splunk where he advises public sector entities across the east coast on best practices for establishing and improving their cyber security programs. In his spare time, Jeffrey is a part-time PhD student and is published. He also teaches courses in cybersecurity at the University at Albany. He credits yoga and house plants for keeping him balanced.

David Beidelman

Stratascale

Dave is a consulting and presales leader with a proven record of increasing operational efficiencies, controlling project costs/timeframes and implementing/maintaining technology initiatives to support business objectives. David brings 30-plus years of experience in security architecture design, systems development, project management, training and education, implementation and deployment. David started his IT and Cybersecurity career during the introduction of distributed computing in the early 1980's as a burgeoning software developer. David has lead customer projects in the areas of Data Loss Prevention, encryption, architecting high availability security solutions, redesigning complex logging and reporting environments, firewalls, proxy systems, IPS/IDS, email filters, VPN, secure authentication/authorization, biometric multi-factor authentication, application security, identity management and risk management. David also developed Industrial Control SCADA Discovery and Assessment programs that detects weaknesses and vulnerabilities within manufacturing and utility customers with almost zero risk of adverse Impact.

Kiran Bhujle

SVAM International Inc.

Kiran Bhujle: Global Managing Director at SVAM International. In this role, Kiran runs SVAM's Security business including technology and cybersecurity consulting, proactive risk management, and digital identity to cyber defense, response and remediation services, and managed security services - across all industries.  He is a senior technology risk executive with over 20 years of experience in helping organizations with their technology risks and transformation programs. Kiran has deep expertise in the areas of information security, ERP application security, identity and access management, IT, and business transformation.

Phaneendra Bhyri

PruTech Solutions

Phaneendra (Phani) Bhyri is a Lead Solutions Architect with PruTech Solutions with over 20 years of experience developing applications in Banking/Finance and Security Domain. Phani is currently leading teams to integrate partner solutions in Access Management and Data Protection space for several clients.

Derek Boczenowski

Compass IT Compliance, LLC

Derek Boczenowski is VP of IT Audit with Compass IT Compliance. Derek has over 20 years of IT experience in a variety of vertical markets, including financial services, higher education, and state/local government. Prior to joining Compass IT Compliance, Derek was the VP of Technology for a credit union in Massachusetts with approximately $700M in assets under management. With an MBA in Technology Management as well as industry leading certifications, such as being a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), Derek works with clients of all sizes and in all vertical markets to help them identify gaps in their IT security strategies and provide relevant, attainable solutions to ultimately mitigate their overall risk. Derek has spoken at numerous conferences throughout his career, including the Fiserv national conference and New York Banker's Association Annual Meeting, and is recognized as a thought leader in the field of information technology and information security.

Ajay Chenampara

Red Hat

Ajay is an IT network industry veteran with over 2 decades in this space. He is an automation strategist with Red Hat, focused on helping customers achieve their business outcomes using Ansible for automating their networks. Previously he was the global datacenter architect for a top 10 Fortune 500 enterprise, leading the network automation efforts there. He also worked for a community focused network automation startup, helping network engineers adopt DevOps tools and methodologies across the globe. Read his blog on termlen0.github.io

Stephen Clark

Fortinet

Stephen Clark has over 20 years experience in the information security space having spent tie at Check Point, Cisco and Palo Alto Networks.  Stephen also spent time working in the security consulting field working primarily with the Fortune 1000. He is presently the Director of Cloud Security for Fortinet.  Today he helps set the direction for cloud security within the Fortinet Sales team for AWS, which includes Next Generation Firewalls, Web Application Firewalls, Compliance and SAAS security.

Adam Cottini

CrowdStrike

Adam is a Director of Business Development at CrowdStrike focusing on the insurance and legal verticals in the Americas. His extensive cyber insurance and cyber risk management experience provides CrowdStrike's partners and their clients with invaluable expertise. Adam is responsible for developing and managing relationships within these verticals as he provides stewardship, guidance and support in incident response engagements as well as proactive programs to manage cyber risks. Prior to joining CrowdStrike, Adam was the Managing Director, Cyber Liability Practice for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, an international insurance brokerage firm. He was responsible for the overall direction of the Cyber Liability Practice including development of state-of-the-art product solutions, cyber risk management, incident response and preventative services, insurance gap analyses, risk exposure analysis, risk modeling, benchmarking, and best practices implementation. In addition to leading North American business development for CrowdStrike Services, Adam is a regular speaker, contributor and Advisory Board Member for cyber conferences provided by Advisen and Net Diligence.

Sanjay Deo

24By7Security, Inc.

Sanjay Deo is Founder and President of the consulting firm 24By7Security, Inc. and a global authority on Cybersecurity and Compliance. He has 30 years of experience in IT Security and Compliance. He is a Cybersecurity Evangelist and has spoken on various topics like "Compliance is not Security" and "A Cybersecurity Tsunami is coming, are you ready?".  At 24By7Security, the corporate mission is to advise clients on building a defensible platform in the face of rising direct and indirect Cybersecurity and Privacy incidents due to increased cybercrime, regulations, and legal action. Company clients include global healthcare, financial services, media & entertainment, travel and cruise, and industrial and government sectors. With a Master of Sciences in Network Security at Texas A&M, he also obtained industry-leading certifications, such as being a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI QSA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Healthcare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner (HCISPP). Sanjay is a big proponent of the mantra "Don't Risk IT, Secure IT" and focuses on proactive cybersecurity management. Sanjay conducts Executive Briefings to Board members and C-Suite management levels on topics like phishing, ransomware, and related subjects. Sanjay also acts as "Breach Coach" when necessary and has assisted multiple clients with ransomware negotiations and remediation. In recognition of the large amounts of time Sanjay has spent on volunteer service for the community, he has been honored as a recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award, granted to him in 2022 by US President Joe Biden.

Dylan Famolaro

iSECURE, LLC

Dylan James Famolaro is a Senior Account Representative at iSECURE. His passion is finding a custom solution for organizations and ensuring data protection. Prior to joining iSECURE, Dylan worked in the finance and insurance field, also working closely with organizations of all sizes. The prior knowledge and understanding of business and corporate dynamics have played an integral role in helping with organizations security posture. A graduate of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, Dylan holds a two bachelor of science degrees. Dylan is an advocate for fitness and healthy living and enjoys being outdoors as much as possible.

George Freeman

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

George Freeman is a subject matter expert for customers in government, healthcare and insurance. George provides illustrated use cases and workflow designs to mitigate identity cyberfraud resulting from increasing use of stolen identities, fake identities, and malicious BOTs. Workflow solutions include data-driven digital identity risk assessment with physical identity verification and step-up authentication via LexisNexis Risk Solutions physical identity products. George works with various LexisNexis Risk Solutions business development teams to scope identity solutions from rapid shifts in various Internet threat landscapes. Use cases include solving state agency public benefits web portal fraud, integrating with leading Identity and Access Management (IAM) vendors, and work-from-home remote access fraud.

F. Paul Greene

Harter Secrest & Emery LLP

As chair of Harter Secrest & Emery's Privacy and Data Security practice group, Paul counsels' clients of all sizes in a wide range of industries concerning all aspects of pre-breach preparation and risk management, including security and vulnerability assessments, policy and procedure review, breach response planning and drills, as well as board and management education on cyber risk issues. After the breach, Paul, his team, and the team's professional consultants provide a full array of breach coach and response services, including breach response and remediation, crisis management and communication, internal and governmental investigations, breach notification, and potential litigation or regulatory action.

Mike Haber

New York State Board of Elections

Mike Haber is the Chief Information Officer for the New York State Board of Elections, overseeing the agency's strategic and operational technology initiatives. Immediately prior to this role, Mike served as Project Management consultant to the Board of Elections, providing oversight for all long term security and technology projects. Mike's career has spanned a variety of technology and management roles in both the public and private sector, serving agencies in New York and other states, as well as the federal government. His volunteer work has included twelve years on the Board of Directors for the Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, and providing leadership and teamwork training to college students across the nation. He is an active supporter of business development in his hometown of Troy, NY.

Michael Hastings

Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Michael Hastings is a Security Cybersecurity Advisor at the DHS Critical Infrastructure Security Agency based in Albany, NY. Michael has extensive industry experience to include roles as Vice President of IT Risk Management for a national commercial bank and several senior leadership positions in IT operations, governance and risk management at regional and national organizations. He is also an Army Signal Officer and Afghanistan veteran. He recently returned from a Middle East deployment serving as a Division Chief Information Officer responsible for tactical networks and communication systems across several countries. Michael holds an MBA in Technology and Management, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

Bert Hayes

Confluent

Bert Hayes supports state & local governments within the United States as the senior technologist for that area within Confluent's public sector team. Bert's career has been centered on ensuring the secure operations of public sector IT assets. Prior to work at Confluent and Splunk, Bert worked directly in the public sector delivering cyber solutions within Texas' Department of Information Resources and the University of Texas at Austin.

Jenny Holmes

Nixon Peabody, LLP

Jenny Holmes is the deputy leader of the firm's Cybersecurity & Privacy team at Nixon Peabody LLP.

Jenny advises clients on the ever-changing legal landscape of data privacy and cybersecurity law, taking an active role in the development and management of the firm's capability in this evolving area. Her practice involves developing and implementing system-wide privacy and security plans for numerous companies of various sizes, and creating response plans that address the mandates of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the NY SHIELD Act, among others. Jenny is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US), a preeminent credential in the field of privacy.

Chris Jensen

Tenable

Chris Jensen is the Public Sector Business Development Manager at Tenable, where he develops and supports strategic cybersecurity initiatives and programs in federal, state, and local markets.  Prior to joining Tenable in 2017, Chris served in a broad range of leadership roles in Public Sector IT contracting, including business operations, contract and program management, business development and capture.  Chris began his professional career as an officer in the U.S. Navy.  After leaving active service, he continued to serve in the U.S. Navy Reserve until his retirement in 2008.  A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Chris also holds a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Rose Ketchum

Semel Consulting LLC

Rose Ketchum is a Certified HIPAA Security Professional with over 30 years' experience in IT and compliance. She has worked with many businesses, governments, BOCES, and school districts throughout New York.

Steven Keys

Dell Technologies

Steve Keys Bio, Steve has over 25 years experience in the IT Industry, the last 10 years at Dell Technologies focused on Data Protection and Cyber Recovery as an Enterprise Account SE, Senior Manager and Product Specialist in the Global Technology Office. Prior to Dell Technologies, Steve was a customer, working as the IT Director for a global software company as well as managing the Network Infrastructure Team for a global law firm. Steve is the America's Lead within the Global Technology Office, with a background in our Data Protection appliance portfolio, including Data Domain, IDPA, Power Protect DD and ECS and the integration of those appliances with our Data Protection software suite. Fostering the connection between our customers' requirements and the work of our Engineering and Product Management teams to drive innovation in our products is Steve's primary objective.

Bob Liebowitz

Confluent

Bob Liebowitz leads Confluent's state & local government practice on the east coast. He's worked extensively with these organizations for over 25 years. Prior to joining Confluent in 2020, companies that Bob introduced to state & local governments include Alation, MarkLogic, Oracle, BusinessObjects, and SAP.

Jonathon Mahoney

Presidio

Jonathan Mahoney, Director of Cyber Security for Presidio, has been in the Cyber Security Industry for 16 years, and has been dedicated to Security at Presidio for the last 11 years. Prior to his career at Presidio, he worked for Gillette, followed by a Financial Services firm. Jonathan's experiences include working as a Security Analyst focusing on NIST Compliance and as a Security Architect helping organizations design and build security solutions.  Most recently, Jonathan has been working with CISO's and Security Directors to help them understand their organization's security posture, and providing consulting services to improve that posture across all verticals, including State & Local Government, Higher Education, Financial Services and Healthcare.

In Jonathan's current role, he has a team of Security Practice Leads that are responsible for working with Presidio's clients on the East Coast and advising them on all aspects of Security. Presidio's Security Program includes Governance Risk & Compliance, Offensive Security, Security Technologies, and Managed Detection and Response. 

Yogesh Malhotra

Global Risk Management Network, LLC

Dr. Yogesh Malhotra 'Yogi' is the Chairman & CEO of the Silicon Valley-Wall Street-Pentagon-Global Digital CEO Practices Pioneer New York Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm Global Risk Management Network, LLC. A Post-Doc MIT-Princeton Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL) Natural Language Processing (NLP), Cyber, Crypto, Quantum and Risk Computing Faculty-SME with AI-FinTech R&D impact ranked among Nobel Laureates, he leads AI-ML-Cyber-Crypto-Quantum-FinTech-Risk-Cloud-Computing practices as Amazon AWS Cloud Computing Network Partner. His Digital Transformation practices are followed and recommended by IT industry leaders such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, PwC Vice-Chairman & CKO, DoD Undersecretary, and CIOs of US Air Force, Army, and, Navy as well as top commanders and leaders of Allied Forces among other world leaders. His direct clients roster includes Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists and CEOs, $Trillion Wall Street Hedge Funds, Big-4 IT Partners such as Accenture; Silicon Valley Strategy & Consulting Partners such as McKinsey; global Telecom, Semiconductor, and Health Technology firms such as British Telecom (UK), Intel Corporation, and Philips (Netherlands); Big-Tech firms such as Google, IBM and Microsoft; Wall Street investment banks such as JP Morgan; Digital Marketing firms such as Ogilvy; and United Nations HQ, US and World Governments, Parliaments, Cabinets and Nations such as Switzerland, Netherlands, South Korea, and, Mexico. His USAF-AFRL Digital ventures such as New York State IDEA Finalist AI-ML-Quant-Cyber-Crypto-Quantum-Risk-Computing CEO Networks advance upon his world's first, foremost and largest global Digital Transformation Networks with millions of worldwide organizations such as Goldman Sachs as early adopters.

Dean Maloney

GreyCastle Security

Dean Maloney is the Business Intelligence Manager for GreyCastle Security, a leading cybersecurity company placed on Inc. 5000's Fastest-Growing Companies in America for the past four years. At GreyCastle Security, Dean is responsible for analyzing internal company data and external industry data to drive the strategic focus and direction of the organization. His insights have assisted in identifying acquisition targets, new offerings, and new markets, which have yielded 32% year-over-year sales growth. Dean's philosophy is a successful growth strategy must include the effective use of data-generated insights. Before joining GreyCastle Security, Dean attended Siena College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing with a concentration in market research. In 2020, Dean continued his education by earning a graduate-level data analytics certificate from Siena College.

Robert Mayer

US Telecom Association

Robert Mayer  Robert Mayer is Senior Vice President of Cybersecurity & Innovation with the USTelecom Association (USTelecom) with responsibility for leading cyber and national security policy and strategic innovation initiatives. He is the current Chairman of the Communications Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC), which represents the broadcast, cable, satellite, wireless and wireline industries and coordinates public-private initiatives with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other U.S. government entities. Mayer also serves as Co-Chair of the Department of Homeland Security's ICT Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, which is now in its third year and focuses on developing strategic and operational best practices to manage global supply chain risk. He also co-leads the Counsel to Secure the Digital Economy (CSDE), which consists of 15 global ICT infrastructure providers who have joined forces to drive solutions that enhance the cyber resiliency of the global digital ecosystem. Mayer was appointed to the FCC Communications Security Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC V), after having led a 100-person team of cybersecurity professionals that produced a landmark report to adapt the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to the broadcast, cable, satellite, wireless and wireline industries. Prior to USTelecom, Mayer served as the top telecommunications official for New York State as Telecom Director of the New York Public Service Commission. In that capacity, he led several major initiatives including regulatory reform efforts and he created a new agency department that focused exclusively on network reliability and public safety matters. Prior to this appointment, Mayer was the lead regulatory practitioner in the Telecommunications and Cable Group at KPMG Consulting and was also a senior manager with Deloitte Consulting. Prior to consulting, Mayer worked as an analyst in the international telecommunications divisions of Chase Manhattan Bank and JP Morgan. Mayer served in the US Air Force supervising intelligence and communications operations at NATO Headquarters, Southern Europe in Italy. He received his B.A from University at Albany, his MA in Information Management from Central Michigan University, his MBA from Boston University, and his J.D from New York Law School.

David McCurdy

Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

David McCurdy is an Executive Government Advisor at Amazon Web Services (AWS) guiding state and local government executives through strategy, policy, and governance challenges to help accelerate their cloud journey. David brings 20 years of experience transforming technology across government, healthcare, and telecommunications industries. Previously, David spent five years as Chief Technology Officer at the State of Colorado leading digital transformation and 10 years at Catholic Health Initiatives leading technology transformation.  David has led security operations in both private in public sector most notability fighting off a nation state cyber attack on the Colorado Dept Transportation. David is an expert on government issued digital identity creating the first legal digital drivers license accepted across the state of Colorado. 

Matthew McFadden

General Dynamics Information Technology

Dr. Matthew McFadden, Vice President, Cyber & Distinguished Technologist, GDIT  Dr. Matthew McFadden spearheads cyber strategy for GDIT's Federal/Civilian, Defense, and the Intelligence and Homeland Security divisions and develops advanced cyber capabilities and offerings to address agency missions. He represents a cyber workforce of more than 3000+ professionals, 30+ cyber alliances, and programs supporting some of the largest, unique cyber missions in the federal sector.

Jennifer McLarnon

Accenture

Jennifer McLarnon is a Security Consulting Senior Manager at Accenture, and the client group lead for Public Service clients in the Northeast. She supports clients in health and human services, public sector health, education, public safety, cities, transport and infrastructure and non-profits. She is also an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Prior to joining Accenture, Jennifer worked as the Chief Information Officer at Boston College High School. In this role, she oversaw IT infrastructure, delivery and security. She developed a great deal of empathy for CIO/CISOs and the challenges facing public service clients related to digital transformation and innovation, securing the ever growing attack surface and building resilience and a robust crisis management, incident response and business continuity plan. She is a strategic leader with a blend of experience in education, cybersecurity, information security and risk management and project management. She holds an M.S. in Cybersecurity, Governance and Policy, a C.A.E.S. in Educational Leadership, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a B.S. in Environmental Geoscience, all from Boston College. She is a relationship builder focused on creating cultures that value privacy and security and align cybersecurity efforts with business strategy.  She is deeply committed to diversity, social equity and belonging and serves as a mentor with Women In CyberSecurity (WiCyS) and Hack.Diversity. She also serves as a member of the Mashpee Advanced Cable and Technology Advisory Board, and is a member of the NYC Cyber Critical Services and Infrastructure (CCSI) Project, Customer Advisory Boards at Spirion and Winslow Technology Group. She lives in Mashpee with her husband, two sons and dog.

Allen McNaughton

Infoblox Public Sector

Allen McNaughton is the Director of Pre-Sales Engineering, Public Sector at Infoblox and leads the technical design and support for Federal, State/Local agencies and the Education vertical. He is also responsible for ensuring that Infoblox maintains the highest level of government certifications across product lines. With over 20 years of experience in developing security solutions for Service Providers, Public Sector and Enterprise customers, Allen helps customers not only understand the technical, but also the business impacts of cyber-attacks and how to help mitigate those threats, specifically with a focus on DNS.

William Mendez

Friedman CyZen

William Mendez is a Managing Director at Friedman CyZen LLC with nearly 18 years of experience strategizing and executing innovative cyber security solutions for a range of clients spanning multiple industries. Will combines a personalized approach with his tactical experience as a former Information System Security Specialist at the Department of Defense to provide expert, result-driven client services. As an industry partner, he worked with various defense and government contractors to ensure their information systems processing government information were properly secured. As an innovator, he has developed proprietary government tools to aid warfighters in the tactical environment. This includes helping to develop the Army's Universal Purge Tool used throughout the Army to sanitize classified hard drives and media. Will provides clients with comprehensive cyber security diagnostics that identify vulnerabilities, risks, and security gaps. He develops custom-tailored solutions that improve the security and resiliency of clients' systems and networks. Will delivers a broad spectrum of services for entities ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations in the finance, real estate, nonprofit, education, and energy sectors. His specialties include network security architectural reviews and vulnerability assessments, with experience leading a task force of technical cyber security experts. Will's expertise includes:  

• Providing network security architectural reviews and vulnerability assessments
• Leading a team of technical experts to assess security postures
• Assisting with the design, development, and implementation of security mechanisms for protecting complex information systems
• Promoting information assurance industry best-practices in clients' systems and networks 
• Conducting network architectural security reviews to identify current and future vulnerabilities
• Performing functional and vulnerability assessments of information assurance products including firewalls and intrusion detection devices

Will has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from New York University Polytechnic, a Master of Engineering in Network Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology and is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP).

Manoje Nair

Accenture

Manoje is a Security Consulting Senior Manager with 15 plus years of experience and a proven track record of building efficient and sustainable Security programs to meet business & compliance requirements while maximizing value from technology investments. He has extensive experience in developing and leading Security program with recognized expertise in Cyber defense, Digital Identities - User identities, Machine identities and Data Security. He has a Master's in Business Administration from University of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The NYS Forum Information Security Workgroup Panel

R. Grace Dillon - Moderator

NYS Office of Information Technology Services

Grace Dillon currently serves as the Executive Director of the Revenue Finance and Integrity Portfolio at the NYS Office for Information Technology Services. A Portfolio Executive Director ensures IT needs are met for client agencies with a similar lines for business. For Grace, this includes the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Division of Tax Appeals, Gaming Commission, Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, Division of Human Rights, and several others. In her role she assists in the planning, development, delivery and operation of IT services and initiatives consistent with the New York State IT Strategic Plan. She oversees IT project governance for her agencies, identifies risks to meeting project deliverables, escalates issues to mitigate those risks and collaborates with client agencies and ITS leadership to align IT investments, services and projects with agency business needs and priorities. In her eighteen years of service to NYS, Grace has always lived on the bridge between technology and the business, supporting various agencies and serving in roles related to Information Security, Project Management and Client Engagement. She prides herself on her ability to translate "tech-speak" and foster productive professional relationships across the bridge. Grace holds an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems from Hudson Valley Community College.

Stephen Clark

Fortinet

Stephen Clark has over 20 years experience in the information security space having spent tie at Check Point, Cisco and Palo Alto Networks.  Stephen also spent time working in the security consulting field working primarily with the Fortune 1000.

He is presently the Director of Cloud Security for Fortinet.  Today he helps set the direction for cloud security within the Fortinet Sales team for AWS, which includes Next Generation Firewalls, Web Application Firewalls, Compliance and SAAS security.

David McCurdy

Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

David McCurdy is an Executive Government Advisor at Amazon Web Services (AWS) guiding state and local government executives through strategy, policy, and governance challenges to help accelerate their cloud journey. David brings 20 years of experience transforming technology across government, healthcare, and telecommunications industries. Previously, David spent five years as Chief Technology Officer at the State of Colorado leading digital transformation and 10 years at Catholic Health Initiatives leading technology transformation.  David has led security operations in both private in public sector most notability fighting off a nation state cyber attack on the Colorado Dept Transportation.  David is an expert on government issued digital identity creating the first legal digital drivers license accepted across the state of Colorado. 

Andre Alves

Trend Micro

Andre Alves has been working alongside enterprise organizations to help them achieve strong security architectures for over 12 years. His love of all things technology developed in his teenage years while living in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which led to his passion of working with cutting edge technologies. Today, Andre possesses deep knowledge of all cloud security concepts and is well-respected for his ability to address complex situations with a multidisciplinary set of capabilities. He is often the go-to person for security business leaders who are looking to improve their cloud architecture, resiliency, and technical optimization. Andre majored in Information Systems with a minor in Business Administration and is a certified AWS Security Specialist.

Jonathon Mahoney

Presidio

Jonathan Mahoney, Director of Cyber Security for Presidio, has been in the Cyber Security Industry for 16 years, and has been dedicated to Security at Presidio for the last 11 years. Prior to his career at Presidio, he worked for Gillette, followed by a Financial Services firm. Jonathan's experiences include working as a Security Analyst focusing on NIST Compliance and as a Security Architect helping organizations design and build security solutions. Most recently, Jonathan has been working with CISO's and Security Directors to help them understand their organization's security posture, and providing consulting services to improve that posture across all verticals, including State & Local Government, Higher Education, Financial Services and Healthcare.

In Jonathan's current role, he has a team of Security Practice Leads that are responsible for working with Presidio's clients on the East Coast and advising them on all aspects of Security. Presidio's Security Program includes Governance Risk & Compliance, Offensive Security, Security Technologies, and Managed Detection and Response. 

Gagan Pall

Deloitte & Touche LLP

As a manager with Deloitte & Touche LLP, Gagan specializes in cyber security services for State Government sector. A CISSP certified cyber security professional with 12+ years of experience, Gagan helps organizations align security goals with business objectives and lead them through the transformation, to develop a secure, vigilant, and resilient security framework. Gagan is also a PMP Certified Project Manager and has successfully led large projects with multi-national diverse teams, bringing the best talent together to accomplish security objectives.

Darren Pulsipher

Intel Corp

Darren is the Chief Solution Architect for Public Sector at Intel. He works directly with governments (Federal, State, and Local) and enterprise organizations such as IBM, GE, and Toyota to help them modernize their IT organizations. Through several executive and management positions (CIO, Director of Engineering), Darren has developed a unique ability to bring technology, people, and processes together to provide real transformational change to organizations. He focuses on data transformation through data architecture, workload migration, cloud-native application development, service orchestration, and multi-hybrid cloud data center architectures. His research has resulted in 8 patents in Cloud and Grid computing architectures, helping companies decrease product development lifecycle time through build, test, and deployment optimization, virtualization, and containerization. Darren shares his passion for digital transformation on his weekly podcast "Embracing Digital Transformation." He is a published author with three books on technology and technology management and over 100 articles published in various industry trade publications.

Brian Reilly

Brian Reilly is a security engineer focused on application security, penetration testing, offense, and vulnerability research.  His professional experience has included working with organizations in the financial services, technology, higher education, and state/local government sectors.

Diane Reilly

Carson & SAINT

Diane Reilly has 35 years of experience across all aspects of a business including information technology, security, program management, business development, marketing sales, pipeline management, proposal management, capture management, business partnerships, and corporate operations. She served as the Chief Operating Officer prior to her current position where she gained valuable experience in operational practices, corporate infrastructure, developing and executing strategic business plans and budget. Diane has the executive talent, grand vision, complete customer satisfaction, and attention to the big picture as well as the details to make things work. She holds a bachelor's degree in Management Science and Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Maryland.

Thomas Ricardo

Vandis

Thomas Ricardo is the Head of Cloud Solutions and Strategy at Vandisand is responsible for Vandis' solution portfolio. Leading one of the first Azure Networking advanced specialized practice, Tom has spent over 8 years as a Cloud Networking and Security Subject Matter Expert in AWS, Azure, and GCP. An AWS Ambassador, Tom has built cloud networking architectures for sizable portion of Fortune100 as well as working with Federal, State, and some of the largest municipal agencies in the US.  Prior to Vandis, Tom worked at Presidio and Equinix creating cloud solution sets around cloud connectivity and ISV solutions. Tom has a Bachelor Degree from NYU and attended John Jay College for Masters in Forensic Computing. He holds multiple cloud and security certifications.

Jim Richberg

Fortinet

Jim Richberg's role as Fortinet's Field Chief Information Security Officer for the Public Sector and Vice President of Information Security leverages his 35 years' experience leading and driving innovation in cybersecurity, threat intelligence, and cyber strategy. During his US Government career, Mr. Richberg spent 20 years at the CIA before joining the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), where he served as the National Intelligence Manager for Cyber --the senior Federal Executive focused on cyber intelligence within the US Intelligence Community (IC). He led creation and implementation of cyber strategy for the 17 departments and agencies of the IC, set integrated priorities on cyber threat, and served as Senior Advisor to the DNI on cyber issues. He helped create and implement the multi-billion dollar whole-of-government Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) that generated new government cyber capability and enhanced cybersecurity in the private sector and critical infrastructure under Presidents Bush and Obama. Since joining Fortinet, Mr. Richberg has been named a "Fed 100" and a "Pinnacle" awardee for his influence on technology in the U.S. Federal government, a "StateScoop 50" leader for driving innovation in state IT, and was nominated as a "Security Pioneer" for his sustained contribution to cybersecurity. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Cybersecurity Leadership Community, the CNBC Technology Executive Council, and the Forbes Technology Council. He currently focuses on helping organizations manage risk and improve IT efficiency and security in the face of increasing operational complexity.

Hector Rodriguez

Amazon Web Services

My work and my purpose is aligned with a healthcare organization's "Triple/Quadruple Aim" objectives to improve the patient and care-giver experience, improve population health, and reduce costs. My goal as an executive advisor and strategist is to enable organization's to live and fulfill more of their mission every day. I have 25+ years experience enabling Health & Life Sciences business and clinical transformation and innovation with a relentless focus on Security, Privacy, & Compliance. I work extensively with industry and academic groups including WEDI-SNIP, HL/7, AHIP, HIMSS, HITRUST, and CAQH. Currently a board advisor for healthcare startups, a founding member of the HITRUST Business Associate Council and a health industry and cybersecurity curriculum advisor for University of Connecticut and Seton Hall University. I began my career in 1982 as a software engineer at Bell Research Laboratories and have been in the transformational technology business for over 30 years.

Frederick Scholl

Monarch Information Networks

Frederick Scholl is a highly accomplished Global Senior Information Security Risk Manager qualified by 20+ years of experience in multiple industries. Dr. Scholl earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He also completed an Internet Law Program at Harvard University, and holds CISM, CISSP, PCIP, ITIL and CHP security certifications.

Mike Semel

Semel Consulting LLC

Mike Semel is recognized as a thought leader in the compliance and IT industries based on his expertise and experience in cybersecurity, HIPAA, CMMC, other regulations, and business continuity planning. He is the President of Semel Consulting, focused on regulatory compliance and Business Continuity planning. In 2021, Mike was invited to join the DRI (Disaster Recovery Institute) International Professional Practices Committee. Mike is a CMMC Registered Practitioner, Certified Security Compliance Specialist, Disaster Recovery Institute Certified Business Continuity, Certified HIPAA Professional, and Certified Health IT Specialist. Mike wrote the Certified HIPAA Security Professional (CHSP) for 4MedApproved. He has owned or managed technology companies for over 30 years; served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for a hospital and a K-12 school district; and managed operations at an online backup company.    Mike has been a speaker at the National HIPAA Summit, the New York State Cyber Security Conference and at a Kennedy Space Center conference for NASA's medical providers. Mike chaired CompTIA's IT Security Community and served on its Executive Council; and is an active member of the FBI's Infragard program. Mike has authored numerous articles published in magazines and on websites. Mike has created Business Continuity plans for small businesses, healthcare organizations, and financial institutions, including a $4 billion federal credit union with 180,000 members. His business continuity plans meet regulatory requirements and have helped businesses survive the Joplin tornado, Hurricane Irene, SuperStorm Sandy, and many smaller disruptions. His business continuity plans have passed FFIEC and NCUA compliance reviews.

Shahryar Shaghaghi

Quantum Exchange

Shahryar Shaghaghi: Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Quantum Xchange, overseeing the development and execution of Quantum Xchange's technologies and enhancing the company's broader post-quantum crypto-agile infrastructure strategy. By leveraging his extensive technology, risk management, and cybersecurity leadership experience garnered from his tenure with major consulting and financial services companies and his solid track record with complex and global implementations, Shahryar has successfully helped chief technology, risk, compliance, audit, legal, finance, operations, security, and privacy officers achieve their goals and optimize their critical and strategic programs.

Robert Siciliano

ProtectNowLLC.com

Robert is a security expert and private investigator with 30+ years experience, #1 Best Selling Amazon.com author of 5 books, and the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social Identity and Personal Protection security awareness training program. He is a frequent speaker and media commentator, and CEO of Safr.Me and Head Trainer at ProtectNowLLC.com. Robert has been featured on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightline, CBS Early Show, Today Show, Good Morning America and in the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Fortune, Forbes, Entrepreneur and many more. His personal mission is to inform, educate and empower people so they can protect themselves and their loved ones from violence and crime in their everyday lives, both in their physical and virtual interactions.

Ben Spear

New York State Board of Elections

Ben Spear is the Chief Information Security Officer for the New York State Board of Elections, overseeing the agency's security program, as well as outreach and support for security programs at the 58 county/city boards of elections. Prior to this, Ben served as the founding Director of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), securing elections through the deployment of a coordinated cyber defense suite supporting all 50 states and over 3,000 local election offices. Ben's roles build on previous experience as a state and local Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at the Multi-State ISAC and work on law enforcement training and critical infrastructure issues at UAlbany's National Center for Security & Preparedness. Ben serves on the UAlbany Alumni Association Board of Directors and is Chair of the Town of Niskayuna Historical Advisory Committee. In his free time, he can be found traveling with his family or at a festival, concert, or musical in the Capital Region.

Shawn Surber

Tanium

Shawn Surber is Vice President of Solutions Architecture & Strategy at Tanium. Mr. Surber has spent the greater part of his 20+ year career focusing on the guts of IT, supporting applications, servers, desktops, networks, security, and most importantly, end users. He spent over 15 years working with private and public healthcare institutions to help them modernize and operationalize IT Security tools, processes, and policies. In that role, he architected numerous innovative solutions in network and endpoint security and worked closely with security officers to secure PII, PHI, and intellectual property. While at Tanium, Mr. Surber has helped a wide variety of organizations achieve a better state of cyber hygiene through effective application of principles of good operational and security practices. A passionate builder of teams and products, he has led product management, technical account management, and technical solutions teams. With each team, Mr. Surber focuses on guiding organizations through their digital transformation journey. He currently lives in Idaho where he's raised two wonderful daughters and is active in the community and local government when he's not out hiking in the beautiful Idaho countryside.

Tyler Wrightson

Leet Cyber Security

Tyler Wrightson, CISSP is the author of two books published by McGraw Hill;  1. Advanced Persistent Threat Hacking, The Art and Science of Hacking Any Organization (2014)  2. Wireless Network Security: A Beginner's Guide (2012)  Tyler is the founder of Leet Cyber Security, which helps organizations solve their technical cyber security challenges. Leet focuses on offensive security services such as Penetration Testing and Red Teaming to secure organizations against real world attackers. Tyler has over twenty years of experience in the IT security field across many industries including healthcare and financial services with extensive experience in many areas of technical security including networking, systems architecture, offensive security and penetration testing. Tyler holds industry certifications such CISSP, CCSP, CCNA, CCDA, and MCSE. Tyler has also taught classes for CCNA certification, hacking and penetration testing, wireless security, and network security. Tyler is the founder of ANYCon, Albany New York's Annual Hacker conference. He has been a frequent speaker at industry conferences including NY Bankers Association (NYBA), NYS CyberSecurity Conference, Derbycon, BSides, Rochester Security Summit, ISACA, ISSA, and others. Follow his security blog at http://blog.leetsys.com.