Christopher Callahan serves as the Chief of Cybersecurity of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Region 10 office in Seattle where he is responsible for assisting private and public sector stakeholders enhance the security and resiliency of critical infrastructure facilities in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
Prior to joining CISA in January 2022, Mr. Callahan served for twenty-five years across multiple Department of Defense Agencies to include the US Army Corps of Engineers, Army Network Command, Information Security Engineering Command and US Army Europe G6 office all in Cybersecurity leadership roles. In his previous role for the US Corps of Engineers he served as the Cybersecurity Engineering and Analysis Branch Chief, which maintained the overall Cybersecurity program for the High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) for the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN). He ran the operations of multiple security assessment teams and the Cybersecurity Service Provider for the DREN and SDREN. He established the first Operational Technology (OT) NSA Certified Red Team within DoD in 2021. Mr. Callahan has assessed cybersecurity in various operational assignments throughout the world over his career.
Trained as an Information Systems Technician (IT) with training as an Advanced Network Analyst in the United States Navy, Mr. Callahan served on a ship five years out of Naval Station Bremerton with three western pacific deployments and four years at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Puget Sound. Mr. Callahan holds several professional certifications to include: CISSP, CGRC and GICSP and has earned a B.S. in Information Technology, and an M.S. Security Management.

With more than 30 years of experience in information technology (IT) and cybersecurity, Kathy is a five-time Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a background across all IT and business domains. As a Mandiant Consulting Practice Leader Ms. Cruz helps clients assess, design and build effective security programs focusing on threat intelligence, defensive posture, proactive cyber management, security validation, incident response and incident preparedness.
Ms. Cruz is the recipient of the Silicon Valley YWCA Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Award, is a past Board member of the Gentle Barn Foundation headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA, a past Board Member of the Career Action Center in San Jose, CA, and a former member of Golden Gate University School of Technology and Industry Executive Advisory Board. She previously served as an Ensign in the California State Guard, Cyber Operations Detachment.

Kevin Galusha is an experienced cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience. His background includes local government and military cyber warfare operations, giving him a unique perspective on cybersecurity challenges. Kevin specializes in cyber threat and vulnerability management and has a proven track record as a team leader. He excels in organizing security projects, incident response, and enhancing operational cyber capabilities. His dedication to helping organizations strengthen their security posture is a testament to his commitment to the field. He also has a passion for connecting professionals with meaningful and exciting opportunities in the industry.

Ben has over 30 years experience in information technology leadership mainly in the public safety and security supporting law enforcement and justice side of State government. He served as a division director leading state law enforcement support systems and communication services at Oklahoma state Bureau of Investigation over 24 years, he also served as deputy CIO leading 14 public safety agencies under the state CIO’s office after IT services was unified in the state. After retirement, he moved to Oregon and served as senior IT portfolio manager for the public safety policy area, assistant state CIO for the same policy area and starting August of 2022 assumed the role of Chief Information Security Officer for the state.

Strategic and out-of-the-box thinking, along with a passion for innovative technology define CTO Noel Hara. Noel’s innate curiosity and problem-solving skills make him the go-to resource for government organizations wanting to solve the toughest problems. As Chief Technology Officer with NTT DATA, he blends over two decades of experience in the public and private sector with an encyclopedic knowledge of technology and applications. Noel has played an key role in the adaptation of the company’s offering portfolio to support clients in shifting to hybrid work and learning along with bringing AI to the forefront of their business. He also continues to support constituents through the expansion of digital government and cloud modernization services.
Noel has been instrumental in leading NTT DATA’s efforts to improve school safety through the Smart School Safety project, which leverages cutting-edge technology to create a safe education environment for students. He is also a highly sought-after public speaker and panelist at numerous industry events and regularly publishes thought leadership in industry trade publications.
As a cancer survivor, Noel combines his passion for technology and personal experience to support healthcare missions in advancing access to healthcare through telemedicine, data analytics, AI, and the deployment of Digital Humans.
Outside of work, Noel sits on the board of the Israel Cancer Research Fund and regularly practices yoga and spinning.

Kathryn Darnall Helms, MSIS, MA, currently serves as Oregon’s inaugural Chief Data Officer. Kathryn has recently led the development of Oregon’s first Enterprise Data Strategy, launched the State’s Open Data Program, and is currently staffing and expanding the Chief Data Office. In previous roles, Kathryn led an initiative to centralize information and data governance at the City of Austin and provided information governance and digital archiving consulting services to human rights organizations in Rwanda, El Salvador, Austin, and Guatemala as part of the Human Rights Documentation Initiative. Kathryn holds graduate degrees in Information Science and Latin American Studies, both from the University of Texas at Austin, where she focused her studies on the role of government records in addressing human rights abuses and as tools to speak truth to power.

Semona Houghlan is an Account Executive for the Center for Internet Security, Inc.®. She is a member of the CIS Services team, which works with our nation’s State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal (SLTT) governments and public education institutions to provide subsidized costs cybersecurity resources and services. Semona manages the CIS Services for MS-ISAC® members in the Western half of the US. Her presentation will highlight those no-cost services as well as some pertinent low-cost services and contact information for the people who can assist you.

Leslie Ann Kainoa is the Cybersecurity State Coordinator for Region 10, Oregon. She started with CISA in July of this year. She is focused on supporting the Critical Infrastructure private sector entities throughout the state of Oregon.
Leslie has spent over 19 years in cybersecurity. Originally from Hawaii, she began her cybersecurity career as a helpdesk technician supporting the US Army Reserves as both a Reservist and contractor. Her duties included applying security technical controls to hardware and software as well as educating users on current computer best practices. These duties sparked an interest in information technology security which eventually led to a career in cybersecurity. During Leslie’s time in Hawaii, she worked as an Information Assurance analyst with the US Army Pacific, US Marine Corp Pacific, Special Operations Command Pacific, and INSCOM. A portion of her time working with the military included a deployment to Afghanistan providing cybersecurity support to the US Army.
2013 brough a year of change when Leslie moved to Oregon. She settled in the Portland metro area where she joined Portland General Electric as a cybersecurity analyst. There she provided cybersecurity services to the operation technology ensuring all substations, operations, and information supporting the generation and delivery of power was protected. Leslie joined TriMet, the public transportation provider for the Portland metro region, as a Senior Cybersecurity Engineer to help build a cybersecurity program while providing cybersecurity assessment, security architecture, and operational technology expertise. When the Cybersecurity State Coordinator position posted she jumped on the opportunity to help a greater number of people with cybersecurity support, education, and outreach.
Some of the extra-curricular activities Leslie enjoys are participating in student outreach programs to introduce cybersecurity and cybersecurity concepts to K-12 students and coaching soccer. Leslie earned a Master of Science in Information Systems from Hawaii Pacific University. The certifications Leslie holds are Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), and Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GISCP).

Daniel J. Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author. He led Michigan government’s cybersecurity and technology infrastructure teams from May 2002 to August 2014, including as enterprise-wide chief security officer (CSO), chief technology officer (CTO) and chief information security officer (CISO). During his distinguished career, he has served both the public and private sectors in a variety of executive leadership capacities including advising senior leaders at the White House, National Governors Association (NGA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Throughout his career he has received numerous national awards including CSO of the Year, Public Official of the Year and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader.

With over 25 years of IT experience, Maurice Machado brings a focus on technology leadership and strategic thinking geared towards local government IT.  Throughout his career, he has held a variety of different roles across IT and Cybersecurity including Information Security Officer and Information Technology Supervisor. 

David McMorries is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Oregon State University (OSU), a role he has held since April 2019. He has been pivotal in advancing OSU's cybersecurity initiatives and fostering a culture of security awareness. Under his leadership, OSU has implemented new IT values and frameworks, significantly enhancing the institution's cybersecurity posture.
David has a distinguished background in the United States Marine Corps, where he served from 1988 to 2016 in various roles related to operational communications and information technology. Notably, he served as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Center and played a key role in establishing the US Navy CYBERSAFE program.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Information Technology Management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Oregon State University.

Dave Nevin has over 20 years of cybersecurity experience. Dave’s areas of professional interest include regulatory compliance, policy, incident response, security operations, computer forensics, and disaster recovery and business continuity. Dave is very active in Higher Ed InfoSec both regionally and nationally, having served on the Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC) Leadership Committee and as co-chair of the HEISC Technologies, Operations, and Practices Working Group, amongst others.

[LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotparks/

Elliot Parks is a cybersecurity leader with a proven track record of helping Public Sector organizations strengthen their security posture. He is passionate about translating complex cybersecurity concepts into actionable strategies that drive meaningful improvements. Elliot has experience working with state, local and higher education organizations across the US to help them safeguard their most critical infrastructure and data. Elliot holds an MBA and an MS in Business Analytics from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and McIntire School of Commerce and is also a former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Officer. He currently serves as Senior Manager, Information Security Consulting, at Mandiant at Google Public Sector.

Richard Rylander is a technology leader with over 26 years of experience, specializing in cybersecurity and problem-solving. He has spent the last 20 years in management roles, including Chief Information Officer, IT Operations Manager, and Information Security Officer. For the past seven years, Richard has led the Oregon Department of Justice technology team as the Chief Information Officer.

Birol A. Yeşilada is a professor of Political Science and the Founding Director of the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. Previously, he was the Director of the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Director of the Center for Turkish Studies, and holder of the endowed chair in Contemporary Turkish Studies.  He served as Vice President of the International Studies Association and is a TransResearch Consortium Executive Board member.  He received a B.A. in Neurobiology in 1977 from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.A. in Political Science in 1979 from San Francisco State University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science in 1984 from the University of Michigan. His currently funded research projects focus on power transition, cybersecurity/cyber defense policy, the European Union, and world values survey. His recent publications include eleven books, over 40 articles, and book chapters. In 2003, he was invited by the White House to participate in the commission that drafted the new constitution of Afghanistan.  He has been an invited national security policy consultant for the U.S. administrations and an invited subject matter expert at the World Bank, Council on Foreign Relations, Booz Allen Hamilton, Nathan Associates, and Barclays Capital.