Vice President
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT)

Matt Hayden serves as GDIT’s vice president of cyber and emerging threats. As a senior cyber executive within GDIT’s Intelligence and Homeland Security division, he is responsible for fostering trusted relationships with industry partners and key cyber executive government leadership, delivering cyber growth strategies, and advancing the company’s cyber thought leadership.

Hayden has more than 20 years of experience in cyber technology and cyber policy. Previously, Hayden served as the Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He led the policy development for department-wide efforts to reduce national risks with a focus on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, federal network security and cyber-crime. Hayden’s efforts played a critical role in improving the security and strength of the global cyber ecosystem. Additionally, he served as an expert advisor on cyber, infrastructure, risk and resilience issues to the undersecretary, secretary, and other high-level officials.

Hayden previously served as Senior Advisor to the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector within the Office of Partnership and Engagement at the DHS. In these roles, Hayden served as a senior leader of the department and as a voice for industry within government, advising on the impact of the policies, regulations, and processes on private sector companies. He also enhanced partnerships and strategic communications to help the public and private sectors jointly meet their shared responsibilities for protecting and strengthening the nation’s critical infrastructure against cyber and physical threats.

President
Hathaway Global Strategies LLC

Melissa Hathaway is globally recognized as a thought leader in the fields of cybersecurity and digital risk management and has relationships with the highest levels of governments and international institutions. She served in two U.S. presidential administrations, spearheading the Cyberspace Policy Review for President Barack Obama and leading the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) for President George W. Bush.

As President of Hathaway Global Strategies, Melissa brings a unique combination of policy and technical expertise, as well as board room experience that allows her to help clients better understand the intersection of government policy, developing technological and industry trends, and economic drivers that impact acquisition and business development strategy in this field.

She has distinguished affiliations at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Canada’s School of Public Service, and Toronto Metropolitan University. She publishes regularly on cybersecurity matters affecting companies and countries.

Most of her articles can be found at the following website: https://www.belfercenter.org/person/melissa-hathaway

President & CEO
Cyber Threat Alliance

Michael Daniel serves as the President & CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA), a not-for-profit that enables cyber threat information sharing among cybersecurity organizations. Prior to CTA, Michael served for four years as US Cybersecurity Coordinator, leading US cybersecurity policy development, facilitating US government partnerships with the private sector and other nations, and coordinating significant incident response activities. From 1995 to 2012, Michael worked for the Office of Management and Budget, overseeing funding for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Michael also works with the Aspen Cybersecurity Group, the World Economic Forum’s Partnership Against Cybercrime, and other organizations improving cybersecurity in the digital ecosystem.

Strategic Security Policy Director
Southern Company

Michele L. Guido is the Strategic Security Policy Director at Southern Company, the parent company of Georgia Power, Alabama Power, Southern Nuclear, Mississippi Power and its subsidiaries. Michele has been employed at Southern Company since September 2004.

Michele has 30 years’ experience in crisis and consequence management, enterprise risk, business continuity, disaster recovery and emergency response for critical infrastructure. Prior to joining Southern Company, Michele was employed at IBM, BellSouth, and Federated Systems Group. Michele has experience in all sides of the public-private ecosystem on national security, cybersecurity, physical security, natural disasters, and existential threats.

In current role, Michele provides high-level strategic and policy advice and expertise to Southern Company executives on aspects of national security, reliability, and resilience. Company and Industry lead for all hazard strategy(ies), effects and methodology(ies) development and implementation. Externally works and partners with electric industry, critical infrastructure owners and operators from various sectors/subsectors, government entities including the White House National Security Council, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Office of National Cyber Director (ONCD), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies actively engaged on reliability and resilience relating to critical infrastructure.

Michele has a B.S. degree in Computer and Information Systems, an A.S. degree in Business Administration, both degrees from King’s College and graduate studies in Emergency in Preparedness and Planning from University of California at Berkeley. Michele received her certification as a Certified Business Continuity Professional in 1995 from the Disaster Recovery Institute International.

Executive Director
Cyberspace Solarium Commission

Mark Montgomery is the Senior Director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

He serves as the Executive Director of Cybersolarium.org, a non-profit organization which works to implement the recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, where he was Executive Director from 2019 to 2021.

Prior to this, Mark was Policy Director for the Senate Armed Services Committee under the leadership of Senator John S. McCain and completed 32 years as a nuclear trained surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Rear Admiral in 2017. 

Head of International Security Cooperation
Google

Christopher Porter is the Head of International Security Cooperation at Google Cloud, a leading provider of cloud solutions for enterprise customers, where he runs a variety of Public Partnership programs with governments around the world.

From 2019 to 2022 he was the National Intelligence Officer for Cyber, leading the US Intelligence Community’s analysis of foreign cyber threats and threats to US elections. As a member of the National Intelligence Council, Christopher oversaw production of National Intelligence Estimates and was the primary cyber intelligence advisor to the Director of National Intelligence.

Serving under both the Trump and Biden Administrations, he frequently briefed and wrote for the President of the United States, senior Cabinet officials, the Gang of Eight and other legislative leaders, and civilian and military cyber leaders throughout the executive branch.

At FireEye, Christopher was the Chief Technology Officer for Global Cybersecurity Policy and the company’s Chief Intelligence Strategist. Christopher served as editor-in-chief of FireEye’s strategic intelligence products reaching over 4000 customers in 67 countries.

Prior to joining FireEye, Christopher served nearly nine years at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he won the National Intelligence Analysis Award for a coauthored National Intelligence Estimate.

Christopher has testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament. He has offered commentary on cybersecurity and threat intelligence in the New York Times, USA Today, NBC News, the Council on Foreign Relations, BBC, Lawfare, Foreign Policy, Defense One, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg News, Cipher Brief, War on the Rocks, Politico, Axios, Cyberscoop, Dark Reading, Roll Call and many other TV, radio, and print outlets worldwide.

Director
Brunswick Group

Preston Golson is a Director in the Washington, D.C. office where he serves a variety of clients in cybersecurity, technology, geopolitical, diversity, media, federal and defense contracting. Preston excels in assisting companies with cyber incident response communications. Preston also advises clients on addressing the threat of misinformation and disinformation to their reputation.

Preston has served in a variety of national security positions, including as a counterterrorism analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and an Executive Assistant to the first two Directors of National Intelligence. Preston communicated the business of intelligence as a CIA Spokesperson, Chief of CIA’s Public Communication Branch in its Office of Public Affairs, and as Chief of Communications for the Agency’s Directorate of Digital Innovation.

Preston holds a Masters of Arts in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Harvard University.

Principal
The Ledgett Group LLC

Mr. Ledgett has over four decades of intelligence and cyber experience, including 29 years with the National Security Agency (NSA), where he served as Deputy Director from January 2014 until his retirement in April 2017. He was the Agency’s chief operating officer, responsible for providing foreign intelligence and protecting the nation’s most important national security-related networks and information.

Mr. Ledgett variously led NSA’s Media Leaks Task Force, NSA’s 24/7 Cyber Threat Operations Center (NTOC), global language and analytic operations, global collection and cryptanalytic operations, and all NSA operations in the Pacific.   

Mr. Ledgett was the Intelligence Community’s first National Intelligence Manager for Cyber, serving as principal advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on all cyber matters. He was also the DNI’s Director for Collection, overseeing all of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s collection programs.

He has taught at the National Cryptologic School, National Intelligence University, and the U.S. Naval Academy, and guest lectured at Stanford, Yale, the U.S. Military Academy, George Mason, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Maryland.

Mr. Ledgett is a Director on the Boards of M&T Bank and Elbit Systems of America, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Defense Analyses, and serves on several corporate and startup advisory boards. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Head of Strategy
ActZero

Rob Knake is Head of Strategy at ActZero, an MDR provider.

Rob served as Deputy National Cyber Director at the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director in the Biden Administration, leading the development of the National Cybersecurity Strategy. Earlier in his career, Rob served as a Director on the National Security Council.

In addition to his government service, Rob has worked as a cybersecurity consultant and advisor to enterprises, startups, and cybersecurity firms. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Partner
Horizons Global Solutions

Stephen Boyd is a Partner at Horizons Global Solutions, a boutique bipartisan government relations consultancy that helps innovative defense, tech, and intelligence firms seize opportunities, build relationships, and manage political risk in Washington.

Boyd is a former presidentially nominated and Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. At the Department, Boyd served as a senior DOJ leader and its top representative to Congress where he was responsible for developing and implementing bipartisan strategies to advance the Department’s anti-crime, anti-drug, and counterintelligence agenda in the House of Representatives, Senate, and at the White House. Boyd personally advised two Attorneys General and the top leadership of the FBI, ATF, DEA, and USMS, and he coordinated the Department’s response to all congressional oversight. Boyd worked for 14 years on Capitol Hill, serving as Chief of Staff for Members of Congress on the armed services committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Previously, Boyd also served as Communications Director (Minority Staff) of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Additionally, Boyd has managed or advised multiple successful congressional campaigns. Boyd earned a B.A. from the University of Alabama’s College of Communication and a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Chief Trust Officer
Institute for Security and Technology

Steve Kelly serves as Chief Trust Officer at the Institute for Security and Technology, a 501(c)(3) non-profit building bridges between technologists and policymakers to tackle emerging security problems. Steve came to IST after serving on the National Security Council staff as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology. This transition also marked Steve’s retirement from the FBI as a special agent.

In his White House role, Steve led national policymaking and advised NSC leadership and the President on matters involving cyber defense, critical infrastructure security and resilience, cyber incident management, and relevant emerging technologies. He served as chair of the U.S. government’s cyber response group, vulnerabilities equities process, the cyber interagency policy committee, and facilitated the successful launch of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark security labeling program for consumer technology. He previously served on the NSC staff in 2013-2015, during which time he was instrumental in developing Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 41 on United States Cyber Incident Coordination.

Steve joined the FBI as a special agent in late-2001 and served within the Bureau’s cyber program for over 21 years in various field and headquarters roles. These included cybercrime and cyber/counterintelligence investigations, private sector and international engagement, strategy/policy, and leadership. His last FBI role was as Chief of Cyber Policy.

Prior to his government service, Steve practiced as a registered professional engineer.

President
Intelligence and National Security Alliance

Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg has been president of INSA, a 501(c)(6), and INSF, a 501(c)(3), since 2019. As president, Suzanne oversees INSA’s finances, strategic planning, policy focus areas, marketing, events, and corporate partnerships. She leads strategic initiatives across the organization focused on building the association’s brand, strengthening member value, and growing and diversifying member ranks.

Since 2010, Suzanne has held various leadership positions at INSA, most recently serving as the organization’s first Chief Operating Officer. She was the driving force behind INSA’s expansion into markets outside the Washington, DC region, as well as its popular, The New IC symposium, which focuses on diversity with inclusion in the intelligence community. Suzanne works closely with the executive leadership team, advisory committee, and members of the board of directors to direct policy initiatives and programs on issues that are key to the intelligence and national security community. Prior to INSA, she served as Vice President of Marketing for Ripple Communications, a woman-owned strategic communications firm.

She is also the Chairwoman of the Iron Butterfly Foundation and sits on the Advisory Board of the National Security Institute. 

Suzanne is a graduate of Auburn University where she majored in Communications.

President
Trinity Cyber, Inc.

Mr. Bossert is the President at Trinity Cyber, Inc. He’s the National Security Analyst for ABC News, and a respected risk management expert.

Tom was homeland security advisor to two U.S. Presidents, serving as the Nation’s chief risk officer and senior most advisor on cybersecurity, homeland security, counterterrorism, and global health security policy, managing a range of domestic and transnational security issues and consequence management operations. Tom is a senior executive with extensive experience in operational and strategic management roles.

Tom was born and raised in Quakertown, PA. He is a Senior Fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the U.S. Atlantic Council. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and his law degree from The George Washington University Law School. Tom was an Engalitcheff Scholar on Comparative Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown University and guest lectures at the Naval Post Graduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security.

CEO
Evanina Group

Mr. Evanina currently serves as Founder and CEO of the Evanina Group advising CEOs and Board of Directors on strategic corporate risk. Mr. Evanina provides a wide array of elite strategic risk consultation services to Boards of Directors, CEOs, and senior decision makers operating within a very complex and competitive global economy and with nefarious nation state actors. Clients include corporations within energy, financial services, telecommunications, biomedical, technology, private equity, national security, and retail sectors.

Mr. Evanina currently serves on multiple advisory boards and is an instructor at the University of Chicago’s distinguished Graham School.

Mr. Evanina frequently appears in national news outlets (television, print, op-eds) advising on threats, vulnerability and mitigating strategies.

Previously, Mr. Evanina was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 6, 2020, to be the first Senate-confirmed Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC). Mr. Evanina served as the Director of NCSC since June 2, 2014. In this position, he was the head of Counterintelligence (CI) for the U.S. Government.

Mr. Evanina was responsible for leading and supporting the CI and security activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community, the U.S. Government, and U.S. private sector entities at risk from intelligence collection or attack by foreign adversaries. Under NCSC, he oversaw national-level programs and activities such as the National Insider Threat Task Force; personnel security and background investigations; information technology protection standards and compliance; CI cyber operations; supply chain risk management; threat awareness to sectors of the U.S. critical infrastructure; national-level damage assessments from espionage or unauthorized disclosures, CI mission management, and national CI and security training programs.

Under Mr. Evanina’s leadership, NCSC produced the President’s National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America 2020, which has been instrumental in raising foreign intelligence threat awareness to critical infrastructure sectors and the private sector executives regarding supply chain, economic security, cyber, and malign foreign influence.

Mr. Evanina chaired the National Counterintelligence Policy Board, and the Allied Security and Counterintelligence Forum comprised of senior CI and security leaders from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Mr. Evanina also served as Chair of the NATO Counterintelligence Panel.

Prior to his selection as the Director of NCSC, Mr. Evanina served as the Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Counterespionage Group.

Mr. Evanina previously served as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, where he led operations in both the Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Divisions.

Mr. Evanina served over 31 years of distinguished federal service, 24 of which as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). At the start of his law enforcement career in 1996, he investigated organized crime and violent crimes through the FBI’s Newark Field Office. He then served on an FBI SWAT unit for 10 years, ultimately supervising this unit. He led some of the highest profile terrorism investigations in our nation’s history including the 9/11 attacks, the anthrax attacks, and the Daniel Pearl kidnapping. During his tenure with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Mr. Evanina was selected as a Supervisory Special Agent and received the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence for his leadership in the investigation into convicted spy Leandro Argoncillo.

Mr. Evanina’s government career began in 1989 as a Project Manager with the General Services Administration in Philadelphia.

Mr. Evanina was born and raised in Peckville, PA. He holds an Associate’s Degree in History from Keystone College in LaPlume, PA, a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Wilkes University in Wilkes Barre, PA, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Arcadia University in Philadelphia. Mr. Evanina was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Keystone College.