IN-PERSON

Houston CISO Executive Summit

December 11, 2024 | Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria

December 11, 2024
Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Houston's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.

Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:

Aligning cybersecurity and business objectives to provide tangible value

Strengthening cybersecurity's influence as a key facilitator of enterprise risk decisions

Managing and protecting key data in a world of variable user access and protection

Houston CISO Governing Body


The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven by CISOs, for CISOs.

Governing Body Co-Chairs

Doug Rinehart

Newfold Digital
CISO

Anthony Souza

Corteva Inc
VP, Chief Information Security Officer

Genady Vishnevetsky

Stewart Title Company
CISO

Joy Wangdi

LyondellBasell
Cybersecurity Trust Officer

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CISO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Houston CISO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Evanta's Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda


December 11, 2024

7:45am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Leading Resilient Teams Through Unpredictable Adversity

Lisa Thompson headshot

Lisa Thompson

Author of "Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain"

Lisa Thompson is a high-altitude mountaineer and former healthcare executive who beat cancer months before standing on the summit of Everest. Lisa later became the first all-American woman to summit K2, which is considered the deadliest mountain in the world. In her talks and book, “Finding Elevation,” Lisa shares the experience of climbing the toughest mountains in the world and the importance of teamwork, resilience and defining boundaries.

Join this keynote session to learn about the importance of:

  • Embracing change and overcoming challenges
  • Creating a supportive environment inside and outside the office
  • Defining clear roles and goals to build a strong, communicative team

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

The Convergence of Cyber & Legal — Stronger Together

Candace McCaddon headshot

Candace McCaddon

Founder & Managing Attorney - Tech, Cyber, and Privacy Contracts

Candace McCaddon Law

Yunique Demann headshot

Yunique Demann

Data Protection Officer

NTT DATA Americas’ Inc

As fast as it feels like the cyber risk landscape is changing, your legal teams are experiencing the same — if not more — stress to keep pace. That's why it's never been more important for both teams to solidify their alliances and stay in lock-step when it comes to their common challenges of compliance, privacy, contracting, and more.

Join this session for a conversation that puts a legal lens on cybersecurity issues to help you better understand:

  • New and upcoming cyber and privacy regulations that should be top-of-mind for security leaders
  • What legal teams want from their security counterparts, and how you can be a better partner to your own internal team
  • How the convergence of cyber law and technology law is changing both the cybersecurity and legal professions

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Navigating Cyber-Physical Risks

Chris Wolski headshot

Chris Wolski

Executive Consultant / Fractional CISO

Applied Security Convergence

Monica Boggan headshot

Monica Boggan

Senior Manager, GRC & OT

Waste Management

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) come in many forms including industrial control systems (ICS), operational technology (OT) devices, and Internet of Things (IoT), to name a few. As they connect to each other and to enterprise systems, the attack surface is significantly expanded and securing these very systems that join the physical and digital worlds is no simple task.

Join this session to discuss:

Identifying and managing the risks of cyber-physical technology

Understanding the parallels in your approach to IT and CPS security without neglecting the differences

Innovative practices to adapt security controls to business operational realities

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Paving a Path for Tomorrow’s CISOs

Deron McElroy headshot

Deron McElroy

Chief of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Complex, high-pressure and stressful -- three words many CISOs use to describe their roles. In this environment, it's vital to question the sustainability of the role of the modern CISO. How do we make such a demanding role appealing to the next generation of security talent? Can you remain productive at this level of pressure for the next 5, 10, or even 20 years? 

Join this boardroom session to discuss:

  • Identifying emerging leaders and enabling their development
  • Cultivating a forward-thinking security culture
  • Laying a strong foundation for not only your team, but the security industry as a whole

10:25am - 11:05am  Networking Break

10:30am - 10:45am  Workshop

Office Hours — Workshop Your Personal Brand & Executive Presence

Sean Barnes headshot

Sean Barnes

Founder & Principal, WSS Solutions

Host, "The Way of the Wolf" podcast

During select networking breaks, Sean Barnes — one of our closing keynote speakers and an experienced executive and leadership coach — will host small-group conversations focused on building your personal brand and enhancing your executive presence.

Sign up to connect with Sean and a small group of your peers to:

  • Discover strategies to showcase your unique value and stand out in the cybersecurity industry
  • Uncover techniques to project confidence, credibility, and leadership in every professional interaction
  • Participate in meaningful conversations tailored to empower your professional growth

10:30am - 10:55am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

10:45am - 11:00am  Workshop

Office Hours — Workshop Your Personal Brand & Executive Presence

Sean Barnes headshot

Sean Barnes

Founder & Principal, WSS Solutions

Host, "The Way of the Wolf" podcast

During select networking breaks, Sean Barnes — one of our closing keynote speakers and an experienced executive and leadership coach — will host small-group conversations focused on building your personal brand and enhancing your executive presence.

Sign up to connect with Sean and a small group of your peers to:

  • Discover strategies to showcase your unique value and stand out in the cybersecurity industry
  • Uncover techniques to project confidence, credibility, and leadership in every professional interaction
  • Participate in meaningful conversations tailored to empower your professional growth

11:05am - 11:50am  Breakout Session

Who Knew It Could "BISO" Simple?

Annessa McKenzie headshot

Annessa McKenzie

CISO

ConocoPhillips

Brittany Opeloye headshot

Brittany Opeloye

Director, L48 IT/OT Security

ConocoPhillips

Dd Budiharto headshot

Dd Budiharto

Founder & CEO, CISO

Cyber Point Advisory

When it comes to success, people tend to offer silver bullets or single keys. However, true long-term success is achieved through multiple conversations and continued strategic relationships across the business – which is exactly where the BISO role can add tremendous value to a CISO's team.

Join this session to hear how ConocoPhillips is leveraging a team of BISOs to:

  • Improve collaboration between business units and the security team
  • More effectively identify and mitigate risks
  • Ensure its security posture is aligned with the rest of the business

11:05am - 11:50am  Executive Boardroom

Routing Your Generative AI Implementation Marathon

Daniel Johnson headshot

Daniel Johnson

CISO

Prosperity Bank

Early adopters confirm, AI-implementation isn't for the faint of heart (or the light of checkbook). Yet the expectation to welcome this booming tech advancement into your organization remains. Today, studying the efforts of those same early adopters proves the easiest first step in drawing up your own AI road map.

Gather with your CISO peers to:

  • Compare your varying stages of AI-adoption progress
  • Share what you've learned through that progress so far
  • Gather proactive tips on clearing hurdles to come

11:05am - 11:50am  Executive Boardroom

Securing a Modern Governance Program — Starting with Data

James Jones headshot

James Jones

CDAO

Cross Insurance Agency

Chuck Layton headshot

Chuck Layton

Chief Data Management Officer

San Jacinto College

Establishing a secure data governance and protection program that successfully aligns with business priorities is paramount. How can security leaders support and enable the digital processes, interactions and transactions that drive their business? By establishing a secure, modern governance framework that protects high quality data throughout its lifecycle.

Join this session to discuss:

  • How to align security objectives with data governance principles
  • Strategies to ensure availability, integrity and confidentiality in data while mitigating risks for the long term
  • The importance of complying with data-focused regulations while creating value from a data governance framework

11:50am - 12:35pm  Lunch Service

12:35pm - 1:10pm  Keynote

Transforming Application and Service Delivery for the Modern Security Environment

Matt Pour headshot

Matt Pour

VP, Solutions Engineering

Island

Delivering business critical applications safely is a delicate balancing act. The user experience is frequently compromised as application, infrastructure, and security teams negotiate the adoption of new services. Unfortunate trade-offs are sometimes necessary to address operational needs for the sake of maintaining security, but these trade-offs can make certain use cases unfeasible or diminish their value to the organization.

In this session, we will discuss:

  • Revolutionizing workspaces by balancing productivity, security, availability and user experience
  • How quickly new technologies like the enterprise browser can be adopted to provide a competitive advantage
  • Strategies for reducing the effort required to deliver applications and enhance organizational operations

1:10pm - 1:35pm  Break

1:35pm - 2:20pm  Breakout Session

A Path to Passwordless — A More Elegant Approach to Identity

Joel Bruesch headshot

Joel Bruesch

AVP, Deputy CISO

BMC Software

Audley Dean headshot

Audley Dean

Chief Information Security Officer and IT Service Governance

BMC Software

Steve Bowers headshot

Steve Bowers

Information Security Manager

BMC Software

The struggle between maintaining security and improving the user experience feels like an age-old dilemma at this point, finding CISOs and end users at an impasse. Refusing to accept that as their reality, the security team at BMC Software searched for a more elegant way to not only ease this friction but also help them address other identity-related concerns.

Join this session to hear about BMC's identity transformation journey, including:

  • Who the key players were internally and externally
  • How they got buy-in / budget from leadership and facilitated internal collaboration
  • What the implementation journey looked like, highlighting key successes and learnings along the way

1:35pm - 2:20pm  Executive Boardroom

Not If, But When — Preparing for Response

John Barrow headshot

John Barrow

CISO & Senior Director, Cybersecurity

J.B. Poindexter

Every organization is one cybersecurity incident away from executing an incident response plan. CISOs must consider all aspects of recovery from containment to ensuring business resilience.

Join this boardroom session to discuss:

  • Proven incident response best practices
  • Opportunities for improved preparedness
  • Future landscape of incident response

1:35pm - 2:20pm  Executive Boardroom

CISOs in the Hot Seat — The Risky Business of Personal Liability

Anthony Souza headshot

Anthony Souza

VP, Chief Information Security Officer

Corteva Inc

John Flores headshot

John Flores

CISO & AVP, Information Security

UTMB Health

CISOs are under immense pressure to protect the enterprise from increasingly sophisticated threats. The stakes are high, and the challenges are numerous. However, the risks posed to the CISO as an individual, are often overlooked. New laws and precedents expose cybersecurity leaders to personal liability, and watching the news isn’t helping. How can CISOs protect themselves and their families in this new era?

Gather with your CISO peers to discuss:

  • How you're approaching protecting yourself in this state of heightened liability
  • How the increasing personal risk for security leaders is affecting the industry
  • What you've learned from previous cases of CISO liability and what you're watching for next

2:20pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

2:25pm - 2:55pm  Networking

Wholehearted Leading — Women in Security/Technology Networking Session

Dd Budiharto headshot

Dd Budiharto

Founder & CEO, CISO

Cyber Point Advisory

Join us for an informal networking break for women in information security/technology leadership and their allies to connect and build relationships with like-minded leaders in the greater Houston and Central Texas area who are making an impact in their organizations and communities. Come prepared to share ideas, inspire and be inspired, and forge new connections that can help empower each other to achieve your goals and broaden your perspectives.

For this session, our conversation focus will be on wholehearted living and leading, a concept from Brene Brown's book, "The Gifts of Imperfection." (Read more here: https://brenebrown.com/book/the-gifts-of-imperfection.)

For a fun group photo afterwards and to celebrate/showcase our amazing community of women leaders in the Houston CISO community, we invite all attendees to join many of us in wearing something PINK!

This session is intended for women in the Houston CISO community leading the information security/technology function(s) at their organizations (CISO/CIO/equivalent) and women reporting directly to the CISO/CIO/equivalent. Priority access will be reserved for these groups, with allies welcome as space permits.

3:00pm - 3:40pm  Keynote

A United Front – Bridging Gaps with Your CIO

Sean Barnes headshot

Sean Barnes

Founder & Principal, WSS Solutions

Host, "The Way of the Wolf" podcast

Kara Pelecky headshot

Kara Pelecky

Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President

American Bureau of Shipping

Paula Smetana Stuart headshot

Paula Smetana Stuart

Chief Information Officer

Crescent Energy

CIO-CISO partnerships are built on trust and thrive when leaders invest in each other throughout the organization. When the goals of each executive do not align, a cohesive approach becomes crucial. A well-disciplined, integrated and communicative strategy can help to avoid program failures and vulnerabilities, safeguarding both systems and the business.

Join this session to hear insight and seek input from your peers in the Houston CIO community on:

  • Overcoming communication challenges and competing priorities
  • Ensuring security is represented as a holistic element of the organization
  • Strengthening the IT-Security partnership to fuel innovation and accelerate new technology deployments

This session will be moderated by Sean Barnes, a longtime member of Evanta's Houston CIO and CHRO communities and the former VP of Corporate Operations at Nine Energy Service. Sean is now President at WSS Solutions and the host of "The Way of the Wolf" podcast, and will be recording this conversation to air on a future podcast episode.

3:40pm - 3:45pm  Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

3:45pm - 5:00pm  Governing Body Reception

Governing Body Reception

Governing Body members host this reception for executives to close out the event with an evening of peer networking, food and drinks.

December 11, 2024

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering


Evanta cares about the health and safety of our community. Please review the following recommendations prior to attending the gathering.

Location


Venue & Accommodation

Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria
MORE INFORMATION

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-800-233-1234. Please mention CISO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $159 USD (plus tax) is November 18, 2024.

Your Community Partners


Global Thought Leader
CISO Thought Leader
Key Partners

Community Program Manager


For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Caroline Timothy

Community Program Manager

8177732790

caroline.timothy@evanta.com