In its ninth year the Visionary Leadership Awards honors 12 visionary cyber security leaders

MN, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When the Cyber Security Summit was created, “cybersecurity” was perceived as something an IT team would handle, and breach notifications were rare. Today, messages regarding hijacked social media accounts, compromised customer data, and ransomware are routine. “Cybersecurity is now an everyone, everywhere, matter,” says Summit founding partner Eileen Manning, “Any one person can lose their retirement savings by clicking a malicious link. At the other end of the risk spectrum, we see foreign adversaries attacking public water systems and spreading mis and disinformation to undermine our confidence in free and fair elections. But behind all that bad news is the great work it motivates, and our Visionary Leadership Awards recognize the amazing but often unheralded work that deserves to be celebrated.”

The annual Cyber Security Summit brings the community together each October to share information, learn from each other, and stay ahead of the threats. This three-day event provides resources and solutions to protect companies and communities and honors the security professionals who defend against the ubiquitous bad actors. Along with recognition for their accomplishments, the twelve honorees will share their strengths and celebrate with other visionaries following the awards presentation.

VISIONARY ACADEMIC LEADER (2)
> Arun Kothanath > Faculty Member, University of Minnesota
Arun Kothanath is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota Technological Leadership Institute where he teaches graduate students enrolled in the Master of Science in Security Technologies program. Arun is Chief Technology Officer at MajorKey Technologies, Inc., and leads strategic initiatives and product development work that bring cybersecurity solutions to Fortune 100 companies and government agencies.

> Holly Yuan > Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout
Dr. Holly Yuan is the Founding Director of the Cybersecurity Research and Outreach Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where she leads computer networking, IT, and cybersecurity programs and established an advanced IIoT lab. Dr. Yuan has leveraged grants from the Department of Defense, Department of Workforce Development, and NASA, to build the program.

VISIONARY APPLICATION SECURITY LEADER > Chris Luhman > Director, Minnesota IT Services
Chris Luhman is an Information Security Director with Minnesota IT Services, where his teams secure and protect agency applications for several departments, with responsibility for statewide governance risk and compliance. Luhman is known for leading teams to develop new approaches and seek innovative efficiencies to make citizen data safer.

VISIONARY COMMUNITY LEADER > Zinet Kemal > Cloud Security Engineer, Best Buy
Zinet Kemal is an immigrant from Ethiopia, a mother of four, and a Cloud Security Engineer at Best Buy. Known as an enthusiastic cybersecurity practitioner, advocate, and dedicated instructor with broad influence, she is also a TEDx speaker, and a published author whose children’s books have been featured on Good Morning America, BBC, ABC and other media outlets.

VISIONARY GOVERNANCE CHAMPION > Mae-Beth Magno > Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, Northrop Grumman
Mae Beth Magno is the Deputy Chief Privacy Officer at Northrop Grumman, where she leads privacy strategies that enable data-driven initiatives while ensuring compliance with global privacy laws and regulations. She brings deep technical knowledge to foster trust and transparency between organizations and their stakeholders.

VISIONARY GOVERNANCE, RISK, AND COMPLIANCE LEADER > Mackenzie Kloss > Senior IT Risk & Controls Analyst, Prime Therapeutics
Mackenzie Kloss is a Senior IT Risk & Controls Analyst at Prime Therapeutics and specializes in internal controls testing, external audits and system security plans. Known for her strong communication and leadership strengths, she is committed to enhancing security and compliance through effective risk management strategies.

VISIONARY SECURITY AWARENESS PROGRAM LEADER > Jacob Blacksten, Senior Specialist Security Awareness, Jack Henry
Jacob is the Senior Specialist in Security Awareness for Jack Henry, where he develops enterprise-wide training and education materials and equips executive teams to identify and avoid high-level, targeted attacks.

VISIONARY SECURITY OPERATIONS LEADER > Reanna Schultz > Information Security Team Leader, Garmin
Reanna Schultz is a Security Operations Center Information Security Team Leader focused on response services that mitigate threats and minimize risk at Garmin. Reanna supports quality work by investing in her team's ability to apply both critical and creative thinking to enhance defense capabilities.

VISIONARY SECURITY PROGRAM AND OVERSIGHT LEADER > Michael Gregg > CISO, State of North Dakota
Michael Gregg is the CISO for the state of North Dakota. With more than 20 years of private industry experience, Gregg is a noted expert who has authored more than twenty books, has testified before Congress, and appeared on CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, and Fox News.

VISIONARY STUDENT (2)
Phoenix Bloksberg > Student, Metro State University
After transitioning from nonprofit and caregiving roles, Phoenix Bloksberg is focused on advancing cybersecurity education for underserved communities. Partnering with Metro State University, Phoenix has led the cybersecurity team to success in national competitions, conducted innovative research, and provided risk assessments to organizations in need.

Thivanka Mohottalalage > Student, St. Cloud State University
Thivanka is pursuing a master’s in information assurance at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and has a passion for research that touches cybersecurity, cloud computing, AI, and intrusion detection. His work includes exploration of cloud computing encryption methods, and evaluation of neural network-assisted IDS/IPS systems.

FOUNDER’S AWARD > Shawn Riley > CEO Bisblox
Shawn Riley is CEO of Bisblox and a lifelong technologist who started his first company at sixteen. He’s led transformational initiatives across billion-dollar organizations, including IBM and Mayo Clinic. He’s held executive seats including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Technology Officer, and today travels the world building companies that help others succeed.

About Cyera
Data is the fastest growing attack surface in the world. Cyera helps leaders discover their data attack surface, control the use of data, monitor, detect, and quickly remediate risk. What makes Cyera unique is the agentless design that deploys in just five minutes across any environment - and its AI-powered classification engine that auto-learns over time and delivers 95% accuracy. With Cyera, security leaders enable their business to safely use data in all the ways they see fit - both now, and into the future. https://www.cyera.io/

Elizabeth Stevens
The Event Group - Cyber Security Summit
elizabeth.stevens@eventshows.com
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