Speakers

Steven Hernandez is an information assurance expert serving the past twenty years in a variety of contexts and missions. He has worked on the front lines in operations centers and led research teams attempting to balance security, privacy, and mission delivery considerations. Transforming risk management in international manufacturing, healthcare, non-profits, and governments at the federal, state, and local levels is extensive through his professional portfolio. Leading tactical, day-to-day security operations as well as guiding and influencing broad security initiatives such as the US government's FedRAMP program across large organizations with international presence are areas he’s frequently called upon to support. Presently he is the Chief Information Security Officer and Director of Information Assurance Services at the U.S. Department of Education. Steven also serves as the co-chair of the US Government Federal CISO Council and government chair of the ACT-IAC Cybersecurity Community of Interest. Prior to his position at Education, he held a variety of roles at the Office of Inspector General, US Department of Education including CTO, CIO, CISO, Senior Official for Privacy and Chief Services Engineering Officer. He is an inaugural member of the United States Scholarship of Service Hall of Fame. He served on the Board of Directors for the International Information Systems Security Consortium (ISC) 2 , served on the U.S. (ISC) 2 Government Advisory Board for Cybersecurity (GAB), judged for the Government Information Security Leadership Awards
(GISLA) and contributed to its Executive Writers Bureau. Mr. Hernandez is the lead author and
editor of the third edition of the (ISC)² Official Guide to the CISSP CBK, the (ISC)² Official
Guide to the HCISPP CBK, and several published works regarding international information
assurance.

Ms. Roxanne A. Landreaux is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Chief of the Cybersecurity, Compliance, & Risk Management (CCRM) Division at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). As the CISO, she is the primary advisor to the DCSA Chief Information Officer (CIO) in the areas of: Joint and DoD-wide programs that deploy information technologies to DCSA’s enclaves and cloud initiatives; the adequacy of cybersecurity-related acquisition requirements; cyber workforce compliancy; risk/vulnerability management; media destruction; public key infrastructure; data transfer; independent verification & validation; security configuration management; and audit readiness. She promotes, maintains, and delivers services to safeguard information assets and systems; this ensures the efficacy of DCSA’s security posture to include the authority to operate the agency’s NIPR, SIPR, and JWICS environments. Ms. Landreaux also fosters a division culture of workforce resilience that is customer-focused and transformation-driven.

Ms. Landreaux is a senior executive with over two decades of enterprise-level experience in the private, military, and healthcare sectors which includes: Portfolio/Program Management, Cyber Security, Information Systems Management, Medical Information Technology (IT), Cloud Computing, Contract Management, Process Management, and Test Center operations. Prior to joining the Defense Security Service (DSS, renamed DCSA) in 2016, Ms. Landreaux served as an IT supervisor with the Defense Health Agency (DHA) supporting the Joint Services, federal/DoD agencies, and military departments (Army, Navy, Air Force, Veterans Affairs, and DISA).

Ms. Landreaux holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master’s degree in Information Technology, and other certifications such as the Defense Acquisition University’s DAWIA Level III in Information Technology and DAWIA Level II in Program Management. She previously held leadership positions/membership in the following organizations: VP Communications for Alamo PMI (Project Management Institute), VP Publicity for Alamo AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association), EMT (Emerging Medical Technology), and InnoTech (Innovative Technology).

Several years ago, she and her five children relocated from Texas to Virginia after her husband received military permanent change of station (PCS) orders to the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Austin Dodson is a research computer scientist from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) where he and his group specialize in the cybersecurity of embedded devices. His current research focus areas include: secure processors, automotive cybersecurity, and industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity.

Dr. Sunil Chhaya is a Senior Technical Executive at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Sunil’s responsibilities include working toward the commercialization and seamless integration of Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) within the Smart Grid. Sunil leads creation and demonstration of innovative enabling technologies such as Smart Charging, Vehicle to Grid and PEV to smart grid interface and standards.

MK Palmore currently serves as Director, Office of the CISO, for Google Cloud. His responsibilities include support of strategic accounts in the digital transformation journey. Prior to joining Google, MK served as the Field Chief Security Officer (Americas) for Palo Alto Networks. MK spent an extensive career in the U.S. Federal Government prior to entering the private sector. In a 22-year career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), MK provided leadership and conducted investigations in a number of areas including Cybersecurity, Crisis Response/Management, Risk Management Advisory, and Counter-Terrorism. MK’s cybersecurity certifications include the CISM, CISSP, GCCC and the Carnegie Mellon University CISO Certification. He earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from Pepperdine University, Graziadio Business School. MK began his professional career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

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Jim is currently a Deputy CTO at NetApp US Public Sector and has over 25 years of
engineering and leadership experience supporting a variety of Federal and Commercial
customers. Jim has focused on Storage, Data Management, and Security for over 20 years
including On-Premises, Hybrid, and Cloud technologies. Jim also was a Solution
Engineering Director leading technical pre-sales teams for 10 years. Jim has a passion of
teaming with customers, partners, and colleagues to drive winning outcomes, and he
thrives on helping customers architect optimal, cost-efficient, and secure data
management solutions using NetApp technology.

Alisha Powell Gillis is the senior editor at Route Fifty where she is responsible for programming live and online events content, moderating panel discussions, soliciting, editing and writing analytical pieces and overseeing the annual Navigator Awards program. Before joining Route Fifty, Alisha was the director for community impact at the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) where she worked to connect urban public libraries to critical issues in state and local government and led event programming. Prior to ULC, Alisha served the nation's governors for nearly a decade at the National Governors Association where she specialized in homeland security, emergency management and cybersecurity issues. Alisha holds a master's degree in global security studies from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in political science from Hofstra University.

George Jackson is director of events at GovExec – the largest and most-influential media
company in the public sector marketplace. He joined the company in 2020 to enhance the scale
of their events and audience experiences. In 2021, George launched GovExec TV (streaming
video content) and received the company’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, part of their first-
annual Icon Awards.

George graduated from The Ohio State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English.
In 2006, he earned his master’s in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland,
College Park.

George spent the first five years of his journalism career at WJHL-TV in Johnson City Tenn. –
beginning as an overnight producer for the station’s 6 a.m. broadcast. He advanced to lead on-air
reporter for WJHL’s 11 p.m. newscast.

As a reporter, George examined the earnings of two non-profit hospital systems, felony charges
filed against a local sheriff, predatory paving companies, a health benefits backlog for local
veterans, and a series of cold-case murder investigations. He received an honorable mention for
Best TV Reporter in the 2011 Tennessee AP Broadcast awards and won a Best Investigative
Reporting award from Media General in 2010.

George joined DC’s ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in 2012 to produce Capital Insider, which won
him an Emmy award. One year later, he developed and recorded the pilot episode of Government
Matters – a program about the business of government. It debuted as a weekly show on Sunday,
August 4 th of 2013. George led Government Matters through September of 2020, expanded its
reach to a daily worldwide audience, and produced its first feature-length documentary The
Dawn of Generation AI.

George is from Toledo, Ohio. He lives with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of rescue dogs in
Northern Virginia.

Aaron Boyd is an award-winning journalist currently serving as senior editor for technology and events at Nextgov. He primarily covers federal government IT contracting and cybersecurity issues affecting both civilian and defense agencies. As a lifelong nerd and policy wonk, he feels right at home covering the intersection of technology and policy in the nation’s capital.

Patrick Tucker is technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of THE NAKED FUTURE: WHAT HAPPENS IN A WORLD THAT ANTICIPATES YOUR EVERY MOVE? (CURRENT, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist for nine years. Tucker has written about emerging technology in Slate, The Sun, MIT Technology Review, Wilson Quarterly, The American Legion Magazine, BBC News Magazine, Utne Reader, and elsewhere.

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