Name: California Cybersecurity Education Summit 2026
Start: 2026-10-08T08:00
Location: Sheraton Grand Sacramento

Overview

Resilience, Innovation, and Cyber Readiness for the Golden State.

The California Cybersecurity Education Summit is where the state’s top public-sector minds unite to lead the charge against cyber threats. Designed for government executives, IT security professionals, and education leaders, this high-impact event delivers cutting-edge insights, strategic collaboration, and real-world solutions tailored to California’s complex cybersecurity landscape. From protecting sensitive data to building resilient infrastructure, attendees will explore what’s next, and what’s necessary, to safeguard the systems that power the Golden State. If you're serious about defending the public sector in one of the world's most targeted markets, this is where you need to be.

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Tarah Wheeler

Cybersecurity Expert, White Hat Hacker

Tarah Wheeler is an information security executive, AI researcher specializing in natural language processing, social data scientist in international conflict, author, and poker player. She is Chief Security Officer at TPO Group, a cybersecurity consulting firm focused on nation-state incident response, critical infrastructure, and cyber risk. She is a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Board of Directors, where she chairs the Audit Committee, serves on the Governance Committee, and founded the annual EFF DEF CON Poker Tournament. She serves on the Strategic Advisory Committee of the Common Good Cyber Fund.

Mike Marshall

State Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Technology, State of California

Mike Marshall assumed the role of CalEPA’s Agency Information Officer (AIO) in January of 2024, following his tenure as the Agency Information Security Officer (AISO) beginning in December 2017. With a wealth of experience in information security, Mike significantly contributed to CalEPA’s cyber resilience during his time as AISO.
Prior to his role at CalEPA, Mike dedicated nearly a decade to various information security roles at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) from 2008 to 2017. His extensive experience at CalPERS equipped him with a deep understanding of information security principles and practices, which he has applied effectively in his leadership roles at CalEPA.
With his proven track record of leadership and expertise in information security, Mike continues to play a pivotal role in safeguarding CalEPA’s information assets and advancing its technological capabilities to meet the evolving needs of the agency and its stakeholders.
Mike earned his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Dave Ahn

Chief Architect and Vice President, Intelligence, Centripetal

Currently the Chief Architect and VP at Centripetal, Ahn is a technology innovator in informatics, security and privacy. He has been awarded patents in both cybersecurity and healthcare which served as foundations for the growth of his endeavors. Prior to joining Centripetal, he held leadership roles at two technology-transfer startups that commercialized breakthrough research into successful outcomes.

Rob Callaghan

Principal Technical Evangelist, Wasabi Technologies

Rob Callaghan is a technology evangelist with deep expertise in cloud object storage, data protection, cyber resilience, and AI data infrastructure. At Wasabi, he helps customers and partners understand how secure, scalable, and cost-predictable cloud storage supports the full AI data lifecycle—from data ingest and preparation to model training, inference, long-term retention, and recovery. Rob is known for translating complex technical concepts into practical business value, with a focus on secure architecture, resilient data strategies, and real-world outcomes. An experienced speaker and industry advocate, he brings a sharp, field-informed perspective to the intersection of AI, storage, and data security. Connect with Rob to explore how Wasabi can help organizations build more secure, AI-ready data environments.

Jon Clay

Vice President, Threat Intelligence, Trend Micro

Jon Clay has worked in the cybersecurity space for over 30 years. Jon uses his industry experience to educate and share insights on all TrendAI externally published threat research and intelligence. He delivers webinars, writes blogs, and engages customers and the general public on the state of cybersecurity around the world. An accomplished public speaker, Jon has delivered hundreds of speaking sessions globally. He focuses on the threat landscape, cybercriminal undergrounds, the attack lifecycle, and the use of advanced detection technologies in protecting against today’s sophisticated threats. Within TrendAI, Jon has held roles as sales engineer, sales engineering manager, training manager, product marketing manager, and director of global threat communications before becoming Vice President, Threat Intelligence.

Bill Carter

Director of SLED, Public Sector, Fortinet

Bill Carter is a dynamic cybersecurity leader with a passion for securing the digital world and educating others on the evolving threat landscape. Currently serving as a public sector cybersecurity strategist at Fortinet, Bill previously protected Ohio’s 12 million citizens as the Chief Information Security Officer for the Department of Commerce and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the State, overseeing security strategies across 80+ agencies.
With a career spanning additional roles as Field CTO, Senior Systems Engineer, and Technical Consultant, he brings deep expertise in cybersecurity strategy, infrastructure, and risk management.
A hands-on technologist and sought-after public speaker, Bill holds a master’s degree in Cybersecurity and multiple industry certifications, including CISSP, SecurityX, and all MITRE credentials. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Cybersecurity, and an active member of the Ohio Cyber Reserve and the FBI’s InfraGard. Beyond his professional pursuits, Bill is dedicated to philanthropy in serving as CEO for an80,000-person strong non-profit organization.

Sean Connelly

Executive Director, Global Zero Trust Strategy and Policy, Zscaler

Prior to Zscaler, Sean served as the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Program Manager at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this role, he led the TIC Program Management Office, which is responsible for leading the Office of Management and Budget’s TIC initiative within CISA.
The TIC initiative is the federal government’s strategy to securely protect government networks that connect to the Internet and cloud providers. CISA’s TIC Program Office works with a wide-spectrum of partners across government and industry and leads the way at enhancing network security across the federal enterprise horizon.
Sean joined DHS in 2013 and served in a variety of roles, including the development of TIC 1, 2 and 3, along with the deployment of CISA’s sensor capabilities (operationally known as EINSTEIN 3A), and was part of the initial architectural team that stood-up the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program. Additionally, Sean was a lead author on the ‘IT Modernization Report to the President’ in 2017, as well as a co-author of NIST’s Special Publicization towards ‘Zero Trust Architectures’ in 2019.
Prior to joining the federal civilian service, Sean worked as a consultant to the Department of State, where he led architectural initiatives within the department, including the adoption of TIC 1 and TIC 2, as well as the design of the State Department’s next-generation telecommunications platform, providing IT for a global workforce. Overall, Sean has over 15 years of experience in the federal domain, and over 20 years of experience in the IT and cybersecurity domain.
Sean earned a MS in Information Technology Management from George Washington University and holds two Cisco Certified Information Expert (CCIE) certifications. He holds the first CCIE in Routing, and a second CCIE in Security.

Jennifer Elliott

Agency Information Security Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, State of California

Jennifer Elliott is the Agency Chief Information Security Officer for the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), where she leads the agency’s information security program, provides security oversight across its six affiliated entities, and advises executive leadership on cybersecurity, risk, privacy, and emerging technologies. She also serves as CalEPA’s AI Cybersecurity Officer and a coach for the 2026 Information Security Leadership Academy.
Jennifer brings a multidisciplinary perspective to cybersecurity leadership, with experience spanning information security, privacy, risk management, enterprise architecture, and artificial intelligence. She holds the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT), and Project Management Professional (PMP) credentials. She is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of cybersecurity leaders and shaping secure, responsible approaches to emerging technologies that strengthen the resilience of California government.

Adam Ford

Chief Technical Officer, SLED, Zscaler 

With over 20 years of experience, Adam has dedicated his career to ensuring that information systems and data are protected and available to meet the unique needs of government organizations. Currently serving as the Chief Technologist at Zscaler, a leading cybersecurity company, Adam plays a crucial role in helping state and local government organizations securely transform their systems. As a respected leader in the public sector market, his expertise and guidance are instrumental in ensuring that the systems that keep government running are not only efficient but also protected from cyber threats.
Prior to Zscaler, Adam served as Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Illinois. In this role, he had responsibility for cybersecurity for various agencies, boards and commissions under the Governor. During his tenure the State of Illinois modernized and grew its security practice to protect systems and data that drive critical services to Illinois residents.
In addition to serving State Agencies, Adam oversaw State and Local security partnership and collaboration efforts including operation of the Illinois Election Cyber Navigator program in coordination with the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Illinois State Police.
Adam joined the Office of the CISO as Security Engineering Manager in 2017 and also served as Deputy CISO prior to becoming CISO. Before coming to security, he spent more than 15 years in data center and wide area network engineering and architecture roles with the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology and the Illinois State Police.
Adam was named the 2023 NASCIO Thomas M. Jarrett State Cybersecurity Leadership Award winner in 2023 and received a 2023 StateScoop 50 State Leadership of the Year Award.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Illinois College and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.

Neal Gallucci

Senior Manager, Solution Consulting, Socure 

Neal is a driven leader focusing on major digital transformation that constantly challenges the norms of the public sector. Neal has a wide variety of experience in identity and access management, identity verification, criminal/fraud investigations, technical architecture, project management, change management, and steady state operations.
At Socure, Neal is the Head of Public Sector Solutions Consulting within Socure where he is responsible for providing fully inclusive oversight and guidance of Socure’s industry leading product suite and integration into Government systems. 
In Neal's previous public position, he built and led the digital identity platform for one of the largest states. In this role Neal accomplished major digital transformations migrating the State’s existing identity system to a cloud identity system, implementing Single Sign On to thousands of applications (Unemployment, BMV, Medicaid, etc) including MFA and identity verification services. Additionally, Neal led the User Experience/Website platform with over 150+ government websites, and the digital platform for State’s coronavirus pandemic response. At Socure, Neal continues to lead all of Socure's major projects as a dedicated advisor to the State's business and implementation teams.

Payam Hojjat

Cyber Risk & Governance Chief, Department of Technology, State of California

Danny Jump

Senior Principal Product Manager, Edge Security, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

A passionate security practitioner and strategist, Danny Jump is a senior product leader in Edge Security at HPE Networking, specializing in the evolution of enterprise cryptography from classical models toward Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC). With over three decades of experience across cybersecurity, identity, encrypted protocols, TPM, and network infrastructure, he architects modern device onboarding frameworks and critical security sensitive systems — particularly those leveraging Enrollment over Secure Transport and next generation PKI that bridges classical and quantum resistant cryptographic approaches. Danny’s current work centers on hardware roots of trust, HPKE-based onboarding, device attestation, and PQC ready DevID issuance, guiding engineering teams through the transition to emerging cryptographic standards and protocols.
His focus is building resilient, future proof security architectures engineered for the quantum era. He’s known for turning complex security problems into clear, operational frameworks that teams can actually build and ship. At the heart of his work is a simple idea — that the networks we rely on tomorrow must be designed today, with cryptography strong enough to stand against whatever comes next.

Ken Kojima

Chief Information Security Officer, CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

As the Chief Information Security Officer, Ken Kojima is responsible for overseeing the information security program at the CA Department of Corrections and rehabilitation.  As a member of CDCR’s IT executive leadership team, Ken is directly responsible for the department's information security governance, risk, and compliance programs as well as security engineering and the intelligence and operations center.
Currently based out of the Sacramento region and with over 16 years of experience with his current department.  Prior to being appointed to his current position, Ken has served in various capacities including, but not limited to, cybersecurity operations, security engineering, info sec auditing, technology recovery, and IT change management.
Ken is also and advisor for the CA Dept of Technology's Information Security Leadership Academy and sits on the CA Cybersecurity Taskforce’s Workforce Development team.
Ken graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Christopher Kyle

Security Architect, Franchise Tax Board, State of California

Christopher Kyle brings a decade of experience in IT and cybersecurity. He currently serves as Security Architect at FTB, where he designs and owns the agency's current and future-state security architecture, protecting taxpayer and employee data. His background spans Identity Access Management and Security Operations, where he served as Lead SOC Analyst leading incident response, threat hunting, security technology evaluation, and project management. He is passionate about mentoring emerging professionals to cultivate a security-first mindset, equipping them with the confidence and practical experience required to enter and excel in the field.
Christopher holds a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from Champlain College.

Gerard Laygui

Chief of Information Technology Operations and Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California

Gerard brings more than 25 years of experience in the IT and cybersecurity field. He currently serves at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) as both the Chief of Information Technology Operations (CITO) and the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). His background includes a broad range of security leadership and technical roles, including CISO, Information Security Officer, Cal-CSIC Cyber Operations Branch Chief, compromise forensics specialist, and malware reverse engineer.
He holds a CISSP along with multiple ISACA and GIAC certifications. Gerard earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Business Administration.

Thomas MacLellan

Director, OpenAI

Thomas MacLellan brings experience in cybersecurity policy, government affairs, and homeland security, with a focus on state governments and higher education. He previously led homeland security and public safety work at the National Governors Association and directed its Governors Homeland Security Advisors Council. His work has included helping governors and other senior officials prepare for cybersecurity challenges and disaster response. Professional background.

Shobha Mallarapu

President and CEO, Anvaya Solutions, Inc

Shobha Mallarapu is a seasoned technology leader and cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of experience helping state, local, and educational agencies protect critical infrastructure and sensitive public data. After a decade at Intel Corporation, she founded Anvaya Solutions, Inc. in 2007, a multi- award-winning cybersecurity firm that has proudly safeguarded about a billion records.
Anvaya Solutions delivers elite, end-to-end security services, including risk assessments, penetration testing, policy development, incident management, and vulnerability mitigation. With an M.S. in Electronics Engineering, 11 U.S. patents, and PMP and CISA credentials, Shobha combines her technical expertise with executive leadership to seamlessly bridge complex technology, compliance, and enterprise business strategy.
A graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy, InfraGard member, and recipient of numerous awards, Shobha empowers public and private sector executives and IT leaders to navigate emerging threats and build resilient public defense systems with confidence.

Melanie Ortega

Chief Privacy Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California

Melanie Ortega serves as the Chief Privacy Officer for the Franchise Tax Board, bringing 28 years of dedicated public service to the department. With expertise in privacy, disclosure, and safeguards, Melanie is committed to ensuring that sensitive information is protected, responsibly managed, and thoughtfully minimized. She champions practices that uphold the highest standards of data stewardship, emphasizing that strong privacy principles are essential to maintaining public trust and advancing the department’s mission.

Tony Pillitiere

Co-Founder, Horizon3.ai

Anthony "TonyP" Pillitiere is the Co-Founder at Horizon3.ai, a company passionate about helping organizations improve their security posture through autonomous pen-testing. His company enables customers to quickly find, fix, and verify security weaknesses before criminals exploit them.
Before his current role, he served 21 years in the United States Air Force, where he spent 16 years in highly competitive positions with highly sensitive missions. His twilight position was as Deputy CTO for a USSOCOM organization, where he drove a digital transformation that increased the capability of the national mission force and intelligence community. He is a husband, father, and nerd.

Bradley Ponce

Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, State of California

Bradley Ponce is the Chief Information Security Officer for the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.   Brad has been working in information technology and cybersecurity for over 25 years in private and public organizational IT and Security business sectors.   Prior to his current role, Brad had been OIS’s Advisory Services Program’s vCISO Manager helping support agency security programs ISA and audit preparations. Brad also had been OIS’s Security Operations Center Manager where he led and baselined the staffing, security controls, compliance, and processes the SOC uses today.

Lekshmy Sankar

Director, Advisory, KPMG

Dr. Lekshmy Sankar is the Head of Quantum Security at KPMG, where she helps state, local, and federal government agencies — alongside enterprise clients across financial services, healthcare, and technology — navigate the cryptographic risks introduced by quantum computing. Her work spans the full post-quantum journey: threat assessment, cryptographic inventory and discovery, vendor readiness evaluation, and migration strategy aligned to NIST's post-quantum cryptography standards. With more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and emerging technology, Lekshmy is one of a small number of practitioners in professional services with deep expertise at the intersection of quantum computing and enterprise cybersecurity. She is a frequent speaker on post-quantum cryptography, the "harvest-now-decrypt-later" threat, and the urgency of preparing critical infrastructure and public sector systems before quantum-capable adversaries arrive.

Aaron Smith

Head of Threat Hunting, Tanium

Aaron Smith is Head of Threat Hunting at Tanium, responsible for HuntIQ, the company's embedded threat hunting practice serving customers globally. He has more than 25 years in cybersecurity and information technology, with prior service as a United States Air Force officer, a Department of Defense civilian, and a federal contractor supporting operations in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. He is a frequent speaker on security operations, detection engineering, and applied AI in the SOC.

Dr. Colin Soutar

Global Quantum Cybersecurity Leader, Deloitte

Dr. Colin Soutar is a Managing Director in Deloitte and is based out of Arlington, VA. Colin is the Deloitte US and global leader for quantum cyber readiness. In 2013, he helped NIST to develop the Cybersecurity Framework and has since helped many leading private and public sector organizations implement it. Colin has also supported clients and NIST programs in the areas of IoT, biometric technologies, trusted identities, and privacy engineering. Prior to his current role, Colin served for more than 10 years as Chief Technology Officer for a Canadian-based biometric and trusted identity public company. Following his PhD studies in physics in Dundee, Scotland, he began his working career with a two-year post-doctorate fellowship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, developing pattern recognition techniques for autonomous rendezvous and capture operations.

Kile Weir

Specialist Solutions Engineer, AHEAD

Kile Weir, CISSP, is one of AHEAD’s national leads for AI security governance and secure SASE/SSE architectures. With more than 20 years in enterprise security, he has held engineering, architecture, and leadership roles at Symantec, Proofpoint, Menlo Security, and Zscaler. Today, he helps enterprise and public-sector organizations across the Western U.S. govern AI securely and distinguish meaningful security capabilities from marketing claims.
Kile develops vendor-evaluation frameworks that connect the OWASP LLM, Agentic, and Agentic Skills Top 10s to the compliance requirements security leaders already navigate, including the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO/IEC 42001, and the EU AI Act. MITRE ATLAS provides the underlying threat model. He also advises AHEAD’s enterprise and public-sector clients in a field CISO/CTO role.

Nathan Willigar

Chief Security Advisor, Microsoft

Mr. Willigar serves as Microsoft’s Customer Security Advisor for the State, Local, and Education sector, where he advises CISOs, CIOs, and executive leaders on security strategy, helping align Microsoft’s vision and solutions to customer needs while building trusted relationships.
Previously, he was the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Maine, overseeing the security of the State’s IT infrastructure. Over more than six years, he strengthened Maine’s cybersecurity posture by maturing its security program, protecting citizen data, and supporting agency missions through tailored IT solutions. He collaborated closely with state and federal partners to identify threats, mitigate risk, and enhance enterprise-wide security capabilities.
Mr. Willigar served on the Maine Cyber Security Advisory Council and MS-ISAC. He holds a CISM, an MBA from Thomas College, a BA from Husson College, and completed the FBI CISO Academy.

Vivian Yan

Deputy Chief Security Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California

Vivian has 25 years of IT experience, 15 of which are dedicated to cybersecurity oversight and management. As Deputy Chief Security Officer at the Franchise Tax Board and GovOps Agency, she manages a multidisciplinary workforce of 80 security professionals across Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), a 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC), Threat Intelligence, Application Security, and External Monitoring. In 2020, she led the deployment of a GRC platform to streamline audit compliance and enterprise cybersecurity risk registry workflows—an initiative recognized with the California Cybersecurity Innovation Award and honored as a national finalist by the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO). She recently completed the modernization initiative to transition from a traditional on-premises SIEM to an agentic AI-powered SecOps platform in a FedRAMP High government cloud that unifies threat detection, investigation, and automated response by leveraging real-time global threat intelligence and AI-driven telemetry analytics at scale. Vivian is a Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP).

Thursday, October 8
8:00 am Pacific	Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area Magnolia Room, Grand Nave Foyer, and 2nd Floor
9:00 am Pacific	Welcome and Opening Remarks Camellia/Gardenia Mike Marshall, State Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Technology, State of California
9:15 am Pacific	Keynote – Hacking the Hackers: Strategies for Building Cyber Resilient Organizations Camellia/Gardenia As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, organizations must stay ahead to protect their data, operations, and reputation. This session offers a glimpse into a hacker’s mindset, revealing both common and lesser-known threats. Attendees will learn practical strategies to strengthen system defenses, reduce vulnerabilities, and foster resilience. The session also explores the human side of cybersecurity, emphasizing the ways in which leaders can empower their people to play their role in upholding the organization’s cyber defense strategy. Tarah Wheeler, Cybersecurity Expert, White Hat Hacker
10:15 am Pacific	General Session – Go Hack Yourself: More War Stories from over 300,000 Pentests Camellia/Gardenia Join Anthony “TonyP” Pillitiere, Co-Founder of Horizon3.ai, for an engaging session on “Offense-Driven Defense.” TonyP will challenge conventional risk assessment practices and unveil how emphasizing real-world exploitability and impact can revolutionize your security approach. Drawing from over 300,000 autonomous pentests, he’ll share compelling stories and actionable insights that reveal how viewing your cyber terrain through an attacker’s lens can uncover hidden vulnerabilities, optimize resource allocation, and fortify your defenses against advanced threats. Don’t miss this chance to learn from a leading industry trailblazer on why it’s time to “go hack yourself” to build resilience in today’s borderless threat environment. Tony Pillitiere, Co-Founder, Horizon3.ai
10:45 am Pacific	Networking Break in Exhibit Area Magnolia Room, Grand Nave Foyer, and 2nd Floor
11:15 am Pacific	Concurrent Sessions The Future of Security Operations: Building the AI-Enabled SOC Tofanelli Artificial intelligence is reshaping how security operations teams detect threats, investigate incidents, and respond at machine speed. As organizations adopt AI-assisted workflows, automation, and orchestration, security leaders are redefining the role of analysts while building resilience against increasingly sophisticated attacks. This session explores how agencies are modernizing security operations and preparing for the next generation of cyber defense. Moderator: Lloyd Indig, Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Justice, State of California Bill Carter, Field Chief Information Security Officer, Fortinet John Garcia, Statewide SOC Manager, Department of Technology, State of California Aaron Smith, Head of Threat Hunting, Tanium Vivian Yan, Deputy Chief Security Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California Inside Cyber Dawn: Building Better Cyber Exercises Bataglieri Cyber exercises help organizations prepare for more than technical incidents. They strengthen coordination, test decision-making, and build confidence before a real event occurs. Drawing on lessons from California's Cyber Dawn exercise, panelists will discuss practical approaches to designing meaningful exercises, engaging executive leadership, improving cross-functional collaboration, and turning after-action findings into stronger incident preparedness. Moderator: Matt Nicholls, Chief Cybersecurity Risk Officer, California State Transportation Agency Wesley Belleman, Lead Cyber Planner, California National Guard Akil Dangerfield, Cybersecurity Training Coordinator, Cal-CSIC, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Pam Greeley, Statewide TR Program Manager, Office of Information Security, Department of Technology, State of California Matthew Ivler, Senior Strategic Planner, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Who Goes There? Building Trust in the AI Workflow Bondi AI agents are beginning to perform tasks on behalf of users, creating new challenges around identity, trust, visibility, and control. As we prepare for a future where people and AI agents work side by side, security leaders must establish trusted identities, define appropriate access, and develop the guardrails needed to securely manage this new digital workforce. Hear strategies for adopting AI agents while strengthening Zero Trust and preparing for concepts like Know Your Agent (KYA). Moderator: Faith DeuPree, Security Policy and Compliance Manager, Employment Development Department, State of California Sean Connelly, Executive Director, Global Zero Trust Strategy and Policy, Zscaler Neal Gallucci, Head of Public Sector Solutions Consulting, Socure Adam German, Chief Information Officer, Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California David Lane, Cyber Advisor, Department of Technology, State of California Building a Statewide Roadmap and Framework for Cybersecurity Workforce in the AI Era Beavis Cybersecurity professionals are being asked to develop new technical capabilities while strengthening communication, leadership, strategic thinking, and the preparation process. Organizations are rethinking workforce development, career pipelines and pathways, succession planning, and continuous learning to prepare employees for rapidly changing applied and emerging technologies. Hear how leaders are building a roadmap and framework for security teams that can adapt, grow, and thrive as AI transforms the profession. Moderator: Michael Todd, Assistant Deputy Director, Department of Technology, State of California Keith Clement, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Criminology, California State University, Fresno Jeremy Espiritu, Cybersecurity Training Coordinator, Cal-CSIC, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Mitchell Navarette, Cybersecurity Training Coordinator, Cal-CSIC, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Lekshmy Sankar, Director, Head of Quantum Security, KPMG Post-Quantum Readiness: Where Do You Start? Compagno Advances in quantum computing are prompting organizations to begin preparing for a future where today's encryption standards may no longer provide the same level of protection. While standards, guidance, and timelines continue to evolve, agencies can take practical steps today to assess cryptographic dependencies, prioritize risks, and begin planning long-term readiness. We'll discuss post-quantum preparedness, helping organizations understand where to start, what to prioritize, and how to adapt for what's ahead. Moderator: Gerard Laygui, Chief of Information Technology Operations and Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Tolgay Kizilelma, Chief Cybersecurity Compliance Officer, State Transportation Agency, State of California Christopher Kyle, Security Architect, Franchise Tax Board, State of California Nathan Willigar, Customer Security Officer, Microsoft Data Minimization: A Foundation for Secure AI Carr As organizations adopt AI, understanding what data should be collected, retained, shared, and made accessible to AI systems has become a critical part of cybersecurity and privacy. Panelists will discuss practical approaches to data minimization, privacy-by-design, AI governance, protecting sensitive information, and establishing appropriate access and controls around the data that powers AI. The conversation will also explore resources available to help agencies reduce risk, strengthen the foundation for secure AI adoption, and support continued innovation. Moderator: Jennifer Elliott, Agency Information Security Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, State of California Michael Newton, Chief Information Security Officer, Correctional Health Care Services, State of California Melanie Ortega, Chief Privacy Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California Tushar Pattani, Statewide Privacy Program Manager, California Department of Technology
12:15 pm Pacific	Lunch Camellia/Gardenia
1:15 pm Pacific	Bits & Bytes – The Cyber Career Journey Camellia/Gardenia Behind every cybersecurity professional is a unique story. Join this informal conversation as panelists share how they entered the profession, the challenges they overcame, the lessons they learned, and the advice they would give to others building careers in cybersecurity. Designed to inspire and encourage, this session celebrates the many paths that lead to meaningful careers in cybersecurity. Moderator: Payam Hojjat, Cyber Risk & Governance Chief, Department of Technology, State of California Jennifer Elliott, Agency Information Security Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, State of California Albert Lam, Agency Chief Information Security Officer (Acting), Health and Human Services Agency, State of California Bradley Ponce, Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, State of California
1:50 pm Pacific	Short Break
2:10 pm Pacific	Concurrent Sessions On the Front Lines: A Cyber Threat Briefing Tofanelli The cyber threat landscape continues to change as threat actors adapt their tactics, exploit new opportunities, and target organizations in different ways. This session provides a current threat briefing from leaders on the front lines, on notable campaigns and evolving risks while discussing what they mean for government organizations and their cybersecurity strategies. Moderator: Eric Nehls, Policy & Standards Program Manager, Office of Information Security, Department of Technology, State of California Jon Clay, Vice President, Threat Intelligence, Trend Micro Erik Freeland, Director, Field Engineering, Halcyon Matthew Sage, Commander, Cybersecurity Integration Center, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Does It Add Up? The AI Investment Equation Bataglieri AI is reshaping cybersecurity, but successful adoption requires more than selecting the right technology. Organizations are evaluating deployment models, infrastructure, licensing, operational and financial considerations as they determine where to start. Leaders will share their approach to key investment decisions, and the tradeoffs that security leaders are navigating as AI becomes part of everyday cybersecurity operations. Moderator: Albert Lam, Agency Chief Information Security Officer (Acting), Health and Human Services Agency, State of California Rob Callaghan, Principal Technical Evangelist, Wasabi Technologies Nithya Krishna, Agency Information Security Officer, Labor and Workforce Development Agency, State of California David Lane, Cyber Advisor, Department of Technology, State of California Thomas MacLellan, Director, OpenAI Cal-Secure 2.0: Building the Next Generation of Cyber Resilience Bondi Cybersecurity is evolving from a compliance exercise to a continuous enterprise capability. As agencies begin implementing Cal-Secure 2.0, leaders are rethinking governance, workforce, technology, partnerships, and risk management to build stronger, more resilient organizations. This session explores how agencies are adapting their strategies to meet today's threats while preparing for tomorrow's challenges. Moderator: Thea Man, Chief Information Security Officer, Office of Data and Innovation, State of California Payam Hojjat, Cyber Risk & Governance Chief, Department of Technology, State of California Mike Marshall, State Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Technology, State of California The Visibility Challenge: Know What You're Protecting Carr Effective cybersecurity starts with understanding your environment. As we manage increasingly complex applications, software dependencies, cloud services, third-party providers, and connected systems, maintaining an accurate inventory of enterprise assets has become essential to identifying vulnerabilities and managing risk. Panelists will discuss their approaches to reducing organizational blind spots, understanding software dependencies, improving attack surface visibility, and building the foundation for more effective vulnerability management and cyber defense. Moderator: Jason Perdue, National Conference Director, Government Technology Dave Ahn, Chief Architect and Vice President, Intelligence, Centripetal Ken Kojima, Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, State of California Gerard Laygui, Chief of Information Technology Operations and Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California Colin Soutar, Managing Director, Deloitte Governing Security in the AI Era: GRC Under the Microscope Compagno As AI and emerging technologies reshape cybersecurity, Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) programs must evolve alongside them. This session will explore adapting governance frameworks, managing enterprise risk, enhancing privacy protections, and applying appropriate controls across the AI lifecycle. Panelists will discuss how organizations are modernizing GRC to support innovation while maintaining accountability and trust. Moderator: Robert Mayorga, Chief Information Security Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California Kory Fesliyan, Statewide Risk Program Manager, Department of Technology, State of California Shobha Mallarapu, President and CEO, Anvaya Solutions, Inc Bradley Ponce, Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, State of California Kile Weir, Specialist Solutions Engineer, AHEAD Whole State, No Holes: Real Lessons from California's Security Front Lines Beavis Join BlueVoyant, and California's own security leadership for an honest look at what it really takes to secure a "whole of state" — from state departments to counties, cities, and school districts. We'll unpack the real lessons and pitfalls from California's SOC-as-a-service journey, and explore how identity, agentic identities, data security, and AI readiness are reshaping public sector cybersecurity. The truth about Whole of State; what nobody tells you until you've lived it. Chris Teekema, Field Chief Technology Officer and Principal Technical Advisor, BlueVoyant
3:10 pm Pacific	Networking Break in Exhibit Area Magnolia Room, Grand Nave Foyer, and 2nd Floor
3:40 pm Pacific	Closing session: Hype or Not? A Cyber Reality Check Camellia/Gardenia AI agents. Post-quantum cryptography. Passwordless authentication. Autonomous security operations. Which trends deserve the attention they're getting, and which still have something to prove? In this interactive closing session, cybersecurity leaders and the audience will weigh in on today's hottest topics, sparking lively debate, practical insights, and a few surprises along the way. Hosted by: Ken Kojima, Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, State of California Thea Man, Chief Information Security Officer, Office of Data and Innovation, State of California Panel: Danny Jump, Senior Principal Product Manager, Edge Security, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Logan Lemming, Solutions Consulting Leader, Palo Alto Networks Jacob Margolis, Chief Information Security Officer, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Jimmie Ramos, Chief, Information Security, Child Welfare Digital Services, Office of Technology and Solutions Integration, Health and Human Services Agency, State of California Vivian Yan, Deputy Chief Security Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California
4:25 pm Pacific	Networking Reception in the Exhibit Area Magnolia Room, Grand Nave Foyer, and 2nd Floor Network with your colleagues and discuss technology solutions with the event exhibitors.
5:10 pm Pacific	End of Conference Conference times, agenda, and speakers are subject to change.

Sheraton Grand Sacramento

1230 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 447-1700

Get Directions To
Sheraton Grand Sacramento

Advisory Board

Government Representatives

Keith Clement
Professor
California State University, Fresno

Jennifer Elliott
Agency Information Security Officer
Environmental Protection Agency
State of Californa

Jeremy Espiritu
Cybersecurity Training Coordinator
Governor's Office of Emergency Services
State of California

Ryan Fogleman
Information Security Officer
Departmental Information Security Office, California Department of Technology
State of California

Matthew Forsberg
Statewide Cyber Defence Manager
Department of Technology
State of California

John Hanafee
Advisory Services Program Chief
Department of Technology
State of California

Monica Hernandez
Deputy Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Department of Technology
State of California

Payam Hojjat
State of California Cyber Risk and Governance Chief
Department of Technology
State of California

Lloyd Indig
Chief Information Security Officer
Department of Justice
State of California

Tolgay Kizilelma
Chief Compliance Officer
State Transportation Agency
State of California

Ken Kojima
Agency Information Security Officer
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
State of California

Albert Lam
Agency Chief Information Security Officer (Acting)
Health and Human Services Agency
State of California

Gerard Laygui
Chief of Information Technology Operations and Chief Information Security Officer
Governor's Office of Emergency Services
State of California

Thea Man
Chief Information Security Officer
Office of Data and Innovation
State of California

Robert Mayorga
Chief Security Officer
Franchise Tax Board
State of California

Dionna Mustybrook
Agency Information Security Officer
Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency
State of California

Mitchell Navarette
Cybersecurity Training Coordinator
Office of Emergency Services
State of California

Matt Nicholls
Cybersecurity Risk Officer
State Transportation Agency
State of California

Vitaliy Panych
Former State Chief Information Security Officer
Department of Technology
State of California

Daniel Pere
Chief Information Security Officer
State Controller's Office
State of California

Dylan Pletcher
Chief Information Security Officer
State Teachers' Retirement System
State of California

Bradley Ponce
Chief Information Security Officer
Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
State of California

Amy Rodriguez
Chief, Stakeholder Relations
Department of Technology
State of California

Matt Sage
CALCSIC Commander
Governor's Office of Emergency Services
State of California

Sam Turner
Information Security Officer
Department of General Services
State of California

Vivian Yan
Deputy Chief Security Officer
Franchise Tax Board
State of California

Industry Representatives

David Affonso
Account Executive
Horizon3.ai

Jon Clay
Vice President
Threat Intelligence
Trend Micro Inc.

Joel Grein
Director of Sales
Tanium

Miriam Ingenito
Account Relations Director
KPMG

Kyle Larick
Regional Director
Zscaler

Logan Lemming
Solutions Consulting Manager
Palo Alto Networks

Shobha Mallarapu
President & CEO
Anvaya Solutions, Inc.

Debi Mohanty
Managing Director
Deloitte

Darrell Monette
Major Account Manager
Fortinet

Vaishali Patel
Account Executive - SLED
Halcyon

Richard Raines
Security Specialist
Ahead

Roger Schotsal
Cyber Security Account Executive
Google

Shelley Silvas
Client Executive
BlueVoyant

Jennifer Simic Rucker
Regional Director
Microsoft

Chul Yim
Sales Director, SLED West
SLED West
Socure

Made Possible by Our Corporate Sponsors

Registration Information / Contact Us

Event Date: October 8, 2026

Open to Public Sector only.

Registration - Free

If you represent a Private Sector organization and are interested in Sponsorship Opportunities, please contact Heather Earney.

This event is open to all individuals who meet the eligibility criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or any other protected class. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants.

Contact Information

Need help registering, or have general event questions? Contact:

Tabbie Pegoda
Government Technology
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 932-1411
E-mail: tpegoda@erepublic.com

Already a sponsor, but need a hand? Reach out to:

Mireya Gaton
Government Technology
A division of e.Republic
Phone:(916) 296-2617
E-Mail: mgaton@erepublic.com

Want to sponsor and stand out? Reach out to explore opportunities!

Heather Earney
Government Technology
A division of e.Republic
Phone: (916) 365-2308
E-mail: heather.earney@erepublic.com

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California Cybersecurity Education Summit 2026

Overview

A message from our Keynote Speaker

Speakers

Tarah Wheeler

Cybersecurity Expert, White Hat Hacker

Mike Marshall

State Chief Information Security Officer, Department of Technology, State of California

Dave Ahn

Chief Architect and Vice President, Intelligence, Centripetal

Rob Callaghan

Principal Technical Evangelist, Wasabi Technologies

Jon Clay

Vice President, Threat Intelligence, Trend Micro

Bill Carter

Director of SLED, Public Sector, Fortinet

Sean Connelly

Executive Director, Global Zero Trust Strategy and Policy, Zscaler

Jennifer Elliott

Agency Information Security Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, State of California

Adam Ford

Chief Technical Officer, SLED, Zscaler

Neal Gallucci

Senior Manager, Solution Consulting, Socure

Payam Hojjat

Cyber Risk & Governance Chief, Department of Technology, State of California

Danny Jump

Senior Principal Product Manager, Edge Security, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Ken Kojima

Chief Information Security Officer, CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Christopher Kyle

Security Architect, Franchise Tax Board, State of California

Gerard Laygui

Chief of Information Technology Operations and Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California

Thomas MacLellan

Director, OpenAI

Shobha Mallarapu

President and CEO, Anvaya Solutions, Inc

Melanie Ortega

Chief Privacy Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California

Tony Pillitiere

Co-Founder, Horizon3.ai

Bradley Ponce

Chief Information Security Officer, Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, State of California

Lekshmy Sankar

Director, Advisory, KPMG

Aaron Smith

Head of Threat Hunting, Tanium

Dr. Colin Soutar

Global Quantum Cybersecurity Leader, Deloitte

Kile Weir

Specialist Solutions Engineer, AHEAD

Nathan Willigar

Chief Security Advisor, Microsoft

Vivian Yan

Deputy Chief Security Officer, Franchise Tax Board, State of California

Agenda

Thursday, October 8

8:00 am Pacific

Registration and Morning Refreshments in the Exhibit Area

Magnolia Room, Grand Nave Foyer, and 2nd Floor

9:00 am Pacific

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Camellia/Gardenia

9:15 am Pacific

Keynote – Hacking the Hackers: Strategies for Building Cyber Resilient Organizations

Camellia/Gardenia

10:15 am Pacific

General Session – Go Hack Yourself: More War Stories from over 300,000 Pentests

Camellia/Gardenia

10:45 am Pacific

Networking Break in Exhibit Area

Magnolia Room, Grand Nave Foyer, and 2nd Floor

11:15 am Pacific

Concurrent Sessions

The Future of Security Operations: Building the AI-Enabled SOC

Tofanelli

Inside Cyber Dawn: Building Better Cyber Exercises

Bataglieri

Who Goes There? Building Trust in the AI Workflow

Chief Technical Officer, SLED, Zscaler 

Senior Manager, Solution Consulting, Socure 