Minneapolis CISO Community
Executive Summit
June 2, 2026 | Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
June 2, 2026
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Minneapolis'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:
Maximizing AI for strategic growth while empowering safe integration for users
Strengthening cybersecurity's position as a creator and driver of business value
Continuously Evaluating and Enhancing Security Solutions to Address Evolving Risks
Minneapolis 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

Vince Aimutis
Federated Insurance
VP, Director, Information Services & CISO

Michael Brewer
Securian Financial
CISO

Peter Christy
Patterson Companies
VP, CISO

Mary Faulkner
Thrivent
VP, CISO & IT Operations

Jeff Johnson
DigiKey
CISO, Director, IT Security and Privacy

Aimee Martin
Data Recognition Corporation
CISO

Mike Rogers
Hormel Foods
CISO & Director Information Security & Compliance

Param Vig
Solventum
SVP, CISO
What to Expect
Agenda
8:00am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Brain-Driven Resilience — Neuro-Optimizing for Executive Edge
Megs Gelfgot
Two-time founder, TEDx, International and Fortune 500 speaker on neuroscience & resilience
Guest Speaker
In the high-stakes arena of billion-dollar enterprises, resilience isn't just an asset; it's a necessity. Learn how elite athletes, Navy SEALs, and top executives leverage cutting-edge neuroscience and cognitive training to elevate their relationship with adversity to yield more resilient outcomes. Cognitive training can help boost executive function and enhance decision making under pressure.
Join Megs Gelfgot, Tedx speaker and two-time founder, as she shares:
Hacks for gaining a competitive edge
Tactical resilience leadership strategies
Ways to mitigate symptoms of cognitive decline
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Securing the Rise of AI Identities
Hosted by Saviynt
According to the International Data Corporation, the number of AI identities is expected to reach 1.3 billion in just two years. Yet many organizations don’t secure AI identities effectively, granting excessive access and relying on outdated, slow processes.
Join this session to learn how to:
- Identify gaps in agent access visibility, ownership, and governance
- Address the unique challenges of identity security in AI environments
- Build scalable identity foundations to enable innovation and efficiency
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Executive Personal Risk – The Newest Addition to the CISO's Domain?
Hosted by BlackCloak
Brian Hill
Field CISO, Client Advisory
BlackCloak
As threat actors target executives’ personal lives, CISOs must expand their leadership to include personal cyber risk, bridging identity management and board-level communication. This evolution is critical to influencing culture and driving comprehensive protection strategies.
Join this session to discuss:
- Optimizing identity and access management for executives
- Communicating personal risk and value to boards
- Expanding CISO influence beyond traditional boundaries
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Proving ROI — AI Risk Reduction Strategies
Hosted by Abnormal AI
Scott Deluke
Field Technical Director
Abnormal AI
CISOs have moved beyond AI experimentation. Now, executives ask: Are 2025’s investments actually reducing risk? The challenge is how to operationalize AI against evolving threats — and prove its value.
Join this session to discuss:
• Strategies for reducing high-risk incidents and fraud
• Embedding AI into core security operations to reduce risk
• Demonstrating risk reduction with actionable metrics
10:25am - 11:10am Networking Break
10:35am - 11:00am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:10am - 11:55am Breakout Session
Identity-Aware Resilience — Control, Recovery and Trust
Hosted by Rubrik
Identity is the fastest path to disruption as attackers misuse valid access, expanding impact before traditional controls catch up. Prevention won't hold on its own. Organizations must contain the impact of compromise, limit the blast radius, and recover to a clean, trusted state across identities, data, and critical systems.
Join this session to explore how to:
- Protect the identities that matter most to reduce business impact
- Contain identity-driven incidents quickly before they spread across systems
- Recover to a trusted state without reintroducing risk
11:10am - 11:55am Breakout Session
Breakout Session Hosted by Elastic
Hosted by Elastic
More details coming soon!
11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom
Securing Tomorrow — Rethinking Data Recovery Strategies
Hosted by Veeam
CISOs are challenged by the growing sophistication of cyberattacks and the increasing complexity of IT environments, making traditional recovery approaches insufficient. Ensuring rapid, reliable recovery is now central to organizational resilience and trust, yet many security leaders struggle to integrate recovery into overall security strategy. Exploring new paradigms in cyber recovery can empower CISOs to proactively safeguard business continuity.
Join this session to explore:
- Integrating recovery into incident response plans
- Assessing cyber resilience beyond prevention
- Bridging gaps between security and IT operations
11:55am - 12:30pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Minneapolis CISO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Hyatt Regency MinneapolisCancellation policy: Regardless of venue policy, any cancellations made after the cutoff day (May 11, 2026) are subject to a cancellation fee of one (1) night room charge plus tax.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-888-591-1234. Please mention Minneapolis Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $271 USD (plus tax) is May 11, 2026.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
